Marvelous Monday Relevé on Pointe

Marvelous Monday Relevé on Pointe

There are two ways to relevé on pointe, and a dancer must know how to do both. Simply put, the foot is either placed under the center of the body, or the body is placed over the foot.

When a dancer first learns to work in pointe shoes, it is usually in first position and the student learns to roll up to elevé,(not relevé), passing through a good demi-pointe position. Remember that relevé is preceded by a plié and elevé is not. When the dancer first learns how to relevé, they move cleanly and swiftly from the plié, through the demi-pointe and up to full pointe.  When on one foot, the body shifts slightly so the dancer’s body is centered over the pointe shoe on the supporting foot.

The other method, often called “snatching” the foot, involves a quick sliding of the foot under the center of the torso as the relevé occurs. In this method the foot does the shifting of position, not the body.

Both methods are correct, although some teachers emphasize one method more than the other.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #8h:  

“There are two ways to relevé on pointe: the body goes over the foot, or the foot goes under the body.”

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl1qjTF-ivw

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