Tendus à la seconde

[Guest Lukayev]

Tendus to the side - that is, perfectly side and not shifted a little forward - have never been my forté. I have the rotten tendency to allow my foot to turn in, while the rest of my leg remains turned out from the hip. This problem is more noticeable on my left side, where the untreated aftermath of a weird ankle bobble is still plaguing me (left ankle's less flexible). Now, my foot isn't exactly TURNED IN, it's just... well, the heel isn't more forward than the toes, I should say. And every time I try to correct this problem, I can manage to get my heel more forward but as a result the line of my leg is slightly cut off at the ankle - my foot looks more like it is clawed than pointed. I wonder how I can alleviate this problem from the inside out, since I believe it is a matter of flexibility in my ankles more than a matter of turn-out from the hip (though I may be wrong).

[Victoria Leigh]

What's more important, Luka, a tendu placed "perfectly side" which is turned in or has a bad line of the foot, and then carries on into a turned in à la seconde en l'air, or a tendu placed where you can have it totally rotated and a good line of the foot which then carries into a lovely à la seconde en l'air which "looks" perfectly side even though it is an inch or so forward of that "perfect side"? The line of the leg and foot is what is seen and appreciated, and who can tell if it is at a perfect 90º angle from the body, or perhaps 88 or 89?

 

I'm sorry, but I am a believer in a beautiful line, and I just do not see that in à la seconde in the center from most people who force their tendu or developpé or grand battement to the "perfect angle". What I see more often is a turned in leg and very often a sickled foot too. If you have "perfect" rotation, then maybe it is possible, and I do know that many can come very, very close to that. But very few can really make it exactly, and still be turned out and placed and balanced in the center with the leg en l'air.