Technical Tuesday Saut de Basque
Saut de basque (soh
duh bask) means “basque jump”. Well, that’s not particularly helpful, is
it? What does basque mean? It is a noun that means: “A member of a people of unknown origin inhabiting
the western Pyrenees and the Bay of Biscay in France and Spain.” Therefore, saut de basque is a step
done by or originated by people of this area.
Saut de basque is a term of the French and Russian schools
of training and it is a turn in the air with one foot in retiré. It is often
doubled, and as you will remember from Ballet
Secret #15p: A saut de basque is a
half turn in the air, so a double is really less than a double. That’s
right, by the time the dancer is in the air, a half turn has already happened,
so a single saut de basque is really less than a full turn. There’s that ballet
illusion thing again.
In a saut de basque the leading leg battements into the air
into à la seconde as the dancer jumps, then that leg pulls under and the other
leg comes to retiré as the dancer completes the turn. The important part to
remember is that all-important à la seconde moment. And, of course, spotting.
(If it turns, it spots).
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Secret #15ll:
Saut de basque literally means
“basque jump”.
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“My father used to say that
stories are part of the most precious heritage of mankind.”
― Tahir Shah
― Tahir Shah
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it have very entertaining blog about Ballet Web. thanks for share g comes to retiré as the dancer completes the turn.
ReplyDeleteRachel Withers Ballet Instructor in UK | Certified ballet instructors in UK
Thank you for your complimentary comment! I hope I can continue to be of help.
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