2 3 Technical Tuesday Échappé | Ballet Webb

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Technical Tuesday Échappé


Technical Tuesday Échappé

Yesterday I blogged about sous-sus and how each leg travels an equal distance to come from fifth to relevé. An échappé does something similar.

The word “échappé” comes from the French word échapper which means “to escape; and that is what the feet do – they “escape” from fifth position (usually) and move to an open position like fourth or second. The definition is: “of a movement) progressing from a closed position (first, third, or fifth) to an open position (second or fourth) of the feet.”

An échappé is not only a jumping step, but also a pointe step. The movement is almost the same: each foot travels (slides) outward equally to an open position. It is like sous-sus but in reverse: the movement is outward instead of inward. Sous-sus and échappé are often combined in choreography and classroom pointe-work exercises.

The secret to échappé is like sous-sus: equal, equal, equal distance must be traveled from the starting position.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #15ff:  
Échappé comes from the French word échapper which means “to escape”.

                Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:

““Practice doesn't make perfect.
Practice reduces the imperfection.”
Toba Beta, Master of Stupidity

                Help expand the knowledge base!
 Leave a comment about any instructions, ideas, or images that worked best for you!

Want to know more about me? Read my interview at Ballet Connections:


No comments:

Post a Comment