Monday Madness Cut-Ups

Monday Madness Cut-Ups

Today’s subject is that very useful step, the coupé.  The French word means “cut”, and that is exactly what this step does.  It cuts underneath the dancer, enabling a change of weight from one foot to another.  Very useful, as I said.

The problem is this:  often the word ‘coupe’ is used interchangeably to mean the position of the foot.  The position of the foot at the ankle that is most often used when performing a coupé is correctly called cou de pied – not coupé.  The easy way to remember this difference is that cou de pied is a position and coupé is a movement – not a position.

The other important thing to remember about coupé is what its name implies:  it must cut under.  That is, the dancer must shift weight directly under the center of the torso and nowhere else.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #13j:  

“Coupé means ‘cut’”.

                Link of the Day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKXQsTJkgFE

Quote of the Day:

“Want to improve your relationships?  See love as a verb rather than as a feeling.”

-Stephen R. Covey

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