Technical Tuesday Petit Battement
The term “petit battement” means “small beating” or “small
battement”. Most dancers learn this early in their training. But the way it is
performed varies, depending on the teacher and the school of training.
Basically, a petit battement is a beating of the foot in and
out around the supporting leg. The foot can be fully pointed, or not (Cecchetti
school). The beats usually go to cou de pied front and back, but sometimes from
sur le cou de pied (see today’s Link of the Day). The foot must describe a straight
pathway in the air – not a circular one. This is the most difficult part of any
beating movement. The supporting leg may be round
in shape, but the beating pattern is angular,
whether the foot is fully pointed or not.
All beats are angular in pattern, and petit battements are
the exercise that trains the dancer to do this effectively. Always
think about petit battements this way: beats go in and out, not in and around.
Also, during a petit battement, the working thigh must remain as
still as possible, and this is done by rotating the legs in the hip socket
(maintaining the turn-out), and engaging the muscles that hold the legs in this
position.
Tomorrow I’ll discuss another way of thinking about petit
battements using a prop.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Secret #15hh:
“Petit battement means “small
beating”.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
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