Wacky Wednesday Sissonne and Scissors
The word “sissonne” doesn’t mean “scissor”. The French word
for scissors is “cisuaex”, which means either “a scissor kick” or a “chisel”.
So the confusion is understandable. So what does “sissonne” mean? It is the
name of the person who is believed to have invented the step. Isn’t it
interesting that the inventor’s name should be so similar to a word that accurately
describes the movement of the balletic step? Hmmmmm. Truth is stranger than fiction, once again.
Like a pair of scissors, a sissonne jumps from two feet, the legs open in the air, and the
dancer lands on one foot. The other
foot may or may not close (that is a discussion for another day).
So who was the inventor? It is believed that a man named François
César de Roussy, count of Sissonne, a 17th
century French nobleman, is the one who created the step.
Isn’t ballet fun?
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Secret #15x:
“A sissonne acts like a pair of scissors, but
that is not the meaning of the word.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“History
isn't about dates and places and wars. It's about the people who fill the
spaces between them.”
― Jodi Picoult, The Storyteller
― Jodi Picoult, The Storyteller
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Want to know more about me? Read my interview at Ballet Connections:
The correct spelling of the French word is "ciseaux".
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