Arabesque is a balletic position in which the dancer stands on one leg with the other extended straight behind.
The arabesque is the position in classical ballet in which the dancer stands on one supporting leg while the other is extended directly behind, the body lengthened from fingertips to pointed toe in one continuous diagonal line. The name borrows from the flowing decorative motifs of Arabic and Moorish art. Carlo Blasis described it in his treatise 'Traité élémentaire' (1820). Petipa made it the central pose of the Russian classical tradition, used iconically in 'La Bayadère' (1877) and 'The Sleeping Beauty' (1890). There are several codified positions — first arabesque, second arabesque, and so on — distinguished by the placement of the arms relative to the line of the supporting leg. The arabesque tests every aspect of a dancer's technique: turnout, extension, balance, line, and the ability to make extreme effort look weightless.