                       |
Écarté [ay-har-TAY]
Separated, thrown wide apart. Écarté is one of the eight
directions of the body, Cecchetti method.In this position the dancer faces
either one of the two front corners of the room. The leg nearer the audience
is pointed in the second position à terre or raised to the second
position en l'air. The torso is held perpendicular.The arms are held en
attitude with the raised arm being on the same side as the extended leg.
Échappé [ay-sha-PAY] Escaping or slipping movement.An échappé is a level opening of both feet from a closed to an open position. There are two kinds of échappés: échappé sauté, which is done with a spring from the fifth position and finishes in a demi-plié in the open position, and échappé sur les pointes, or demi-pointes, which is done with a relevé and has straight knees when in the open position.In each case échappés are done to the second or fourth position, both feet traveling an equal distance from the original center of gravity. Effacé, effacée [eh-fa-SAY] Shaded. One of the directions of épaulement in which the dancer stands at an oblique angle to the audience so that a part of the body is taken back and almost hidden from view. This direction is termed "ouvert" in the French method. Effacé is also used to qualify a pose in which the legs are open (not crossed). This pose may be taken devant or derrière, either à terre or en l'air. Élévation [ay-lay-va-SYAWN] Élévation is the ability of a dancer to attain height in dancing. It is a term used to describe the height attained in springing steps such as entrechats, grands jetés and so on, combined with ballon so that the dancer jumps with a graceful elasticity like thebouncing movement of a rubber ball which touches the ground a moment and then rebounds into the air. The elevation is reckoned by the distance between the pointed toes of the dancer inthe air and the ground.In alighting after a pas d'élévation the tips of the toes should reach theground first, quickly followed by the sole and then the heel. All steps of' elevation begin and end with a demi-plié. Entrechat [ahn-truh-SHAH] Interweaving or braiding. A step of beating in which the dancer jumps into the air and rapidly crosses the legs before and behind each other. Entrechats are counted from two to ten according to the number of crossings required and counting each crossing as two movements, one by each leg; that is, in an entrechat quatre each leg makes two distinct movements. Entrechats are divided into two general classes: the even-numbered entrechats, or those which land on two feet-- deux, quatre, six, huit and dix-- and the odd-numbered entrechats, or those which land on one foot-- trois, cinq, sept and neuf. Entrechat six [ahn-truh-SHAH seess] Six crossings. Demi-plié in the fifth position R foot front.With a strong jump open the legs, beat the R leg behind the L, open the legs, beat the R leg infront of the L, open the legs and finish in demi-plié in the fifth position R foot back. Épaulement [ay-pohl-MAHN]] Shouldering. The placing of the shoulders. A term used to indicate a movement of the torso from the waist upward, bringing one shoulder forward and the other backwith the head turned or inclined over the forward shoulder. The two fundamental positions of épaulement are croisé and effacé. When épaulement is used the position of the head depends upon the position of the shoulders and the shoulder position depends upon the position of the legs. Épaulement gives the finishing artistic touch to every movement and is a characteristic feature of the modern classical style compared to the old French style. which has little épaulement. Extension [eks-tahn-SYAWN] Term used to describe the ability of a dancer to raise and hold her extended leg en l'air. A dancer is said to have a good extension if,when doing a développé à laseconde, she is able to hold and sustain the raised leg above shoulder level. Face, en [ahn fahss] Opposite (the audience); facing the audience. Fish dive This is a term used in double (supported) work for various lifts in which the danseuse issupported by the danseur in a poisson position. He may hold her above his head in a horizontal fish dive or she may fall from a sitting position on his shoulder and be caught in a fish dive, and so on. Fondu, fondue [fawn-DEW] Sinking down. A term used to describe a lowering of the body madeby bending the knee of the supporting leg. Saint-Léon wrote, "Fondu is on one leg what a plié is on two." In some instances the term fondu is also used to describe the ending of a step when theworking leg is placed on the ground with a soft and gradual movement. Fouetté [fweh-TAY] Whipped. A term applied to a whipping movement. The movement may be a short whipped movement of the raised foot as it passes rapidly in front of or behind the supporting foot or the sharp whipping around of the body from one direction to another. There is a great variety of fouettés: petit fouetté, which may be devant, à la seconde or derrière and executed à terre, sur la demi-pointe or sauté; and grand fouetté, which may be sauté, relevé and en tournant. Fouetté en tournant, grand (Russian School) [grahn fweh-TAY ahn toor-NAHN] Large fouetté,turning. This fouetté may be done on demi-pointe, on point or with a jump. It is usually done endedans and may be finished in attitude croisée, attitude effacée or any of the arabesques. Fouetté rond de jambe en tournant [fweh-TAY rawn duh zhahnb ahn toor-NAHN] Whippedcircle of the leg turning. This is the popular turn in which the dancer executes a series of turns on the supporting leg while being propelled by a whipping movement of the working leg. The whipping leg should be at hip level, with the foot closing in to the knee of the supporting leg. Fouettés are usually done in a series. They may be executed en dehors or en dedans. En dehors (Russian school)Fondu on the L leg,at the same time opening the R leg to the second position en l'air. Relevé on the L point or demi-pointe, executing a tour en dehors and whipping the R foot in back of, then quickly in front of, the L knee. Fondu on the L leg, opening the R leg to the second position en l'air. En dehors (Cecchetti method): Fourth position R foot back. Execute a pirouette en dehors on the L leg. Fondu on the L leg, at the same time extending the R leg to quatrième position devant en l'air (croisé devant). Relevé on the L point or demi-pointe, sweeping the R leg to the second position en l'air, and execute a tour en dehors, bringing the R foot to side and front of L knee. Fondu on the L foot,extending the R leg forward again. Three-quarters of the turn should be made with the R foot inposition on the supporting knee. This fouetté may also be executed from a preparation starting with a pas de bourrée en dedans and finishing with a coupé dessous, opening the working leg toauatrième devant croisé. En dedans (Russian School): Fouetté en dedans is done in the samemanner as en dehors. After a pirouette en dedans the extension is made to the second position en l'air; next the foot is brought in front of, then in back of, the supporting knee. En dedans (Cecchetti method): After a pirouette en dedans the working leg is extended to the fourth position derrière en l'air; then with a demi-rond de jambe en l'air en dedans the foot is brought to the front of the supporting knee. French School The French School of ballet began in the court ceremonies of the French monarchs.Louis XIV studied with the famous ballet master Pierre Beauchamp and established the firstacademy of dancing, known as the Académie Royale de Musique et de Danse, in Paris in 1661. TheÉcole de Danse de l'Opéra was founded in 1713 and is now known as the École de Danse du ThéâtreNational de l'Opéra. Among its most famous ballet masters were Beauchamp, Pécour, Lany,Noverre, G. and A. Vestris, M. and P. Gardel, F. Taglioni, Mazilier, Saint-Léon, Mérante, Staats, Aveline and Lifar. The French School was known for its elegance and soft, graceful movementsrather than technical virtuosity. Its influence spread throughout Europe and is the basis of all ballet training. Gateway, the This is a position of the arms in which the arms are held rounded in front of thebody with the fingertips on a level with the bottom of the breastbone. The backs of the hands faceoutward with the arms rounded so that the elbows are a little below the shoulders and the wrists alittle below the elbows with the point of the elbows imperceptible. This position corresponds to thefifth position en avant of the Cecchetti method and the first position of the Russian and FrenchSchools. When the arms are raised from a low position to a high one, the arms generally passthrough the gateway. See Port de bras. Glissade [glee-SAD] Glide. A traveling step executed by gliding the working foot from the fifth position in the required direction, the other foot closing to it. Glissade is a terre à terre step and is used to link other steps. After a demi-plié in the fifth position the working foot glides along thefloor to a strong point a few inches from the floor. The other foot then pushes away from the floor so that both knees are straight and both feet strongly pointed for a moment; then the weight isshifted to the working foot with a fondu. The other foot, which is pointed a few inches from thefloor,slides into the fifth position in demi-plié. When a glissade is used as an auxiliary step forsmall or big jumps, it is done with a quick movement on the upbeat. Glissades are done with orwithout change of feet, and all begin and end with a demi-plié. There are six glissades: devant, derrière, dessous, dessus, en avant, en arrière, the difference between them depending on thestarting and finishing positions as well as the direction. Glissade may also be done sur les pointes.Grand, grande [grahn, grahnd] Big, large. As, for example; in grand battement. (To find termsstarting with "grand," look up the second word of the term.) Italian School The Imperial Dancing Academy connected with La Scala in Milan was opened in1812. Its greatest period began when Carlo Blasis, Italian dancer and teacher, became its director in 1837. Blasis published two textbooks, Treatise on the Art of Dancing and Code of Terpischore, in which he codified his teaching methods and all that was known of ballet technique. These booksform the basis of our modern classical training. Blasis trained most of the famous Italian dancers ot the era, and his pupil Giovanni Lepri was the teacher of Enrico Cecchetti, one of the greatest teachers in the history of ballet. It was Cecchetti who brought the Italian School to its peak. TheItalian School was known for its strong, brilliant technique and the virtuosity of its dancers, whoastonished the audience with their |
