2 3 Wonderful Wednesday Three | Ballet Webb

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Wonderful Wednesday Three


Wonderful Wednesday Three

Tendues are important for many reasons, but one of the most important is that a tendu establishes the proper direction of movement. With few exceptions, where the tendu is placed establishes where the dégagé will go, and where all the higher extensions of the leg will go. There are lots of places the leg can go (or drift) that are wrong so repetition on the correct pathway is crucial.

It doesn’t matter where the torso (body) is facing (front, side, croisé, etc.).  The tendu is always placed in one of the following places: 

1. A tendu devant is in front of the belly button. Simple as that.
2. A tendu (and dégagé) derrière is placed directly behind the standing (supporting) heel.
3.  A tendu à la seconde is placed according to the dancer’s degree of turnout, usually slightly in front of the side seam of one’s leotard or tee shirt.

The main exception is in high derrière positions like attitude or arabesque. Here the leg is aligned behind the working hip instead of the standing heel.

There you have it. Three places. That’s it. All balletic positions come from these specific locations, and no deviation is allowed. That’s why so much repetition is needed throughout a dancer’s life. It is all too easy for habits of over or under-crossing to occur in tendues and all the position that follow.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #4l:  
“Tendues go in three specific directions: front, side and back.”

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