In ballet, sometimes things are not always what they seem.
Those fantastic double saut de basques or double step-overs, or double assemblés
en tournant are not really doubles. Gasp!
Yes, you read that correctly. They are sort of – well –
fakes. Each of these doubles are, in reality, only one-and-a-half rotations.
They look like doubles, however, so
you get a lot of appreciation for something that isn’t as hard to do as it
appears. And since most things in ballet are more difficult to do than it might appear, we can embrace these “fake”
turns.
Why is this double/not a double so? Simple. It’s the
preparation for the step. By the time the dancer is on relevé, or in the air, a
half turn has already happened. Therefore the rest of the turn only consists of
one-and-a-half revolutions – even thought it looks like a complete double.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Ballet Secret #22bbb:
“Some turns are “fake”
doubles.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
Circumstances are the rulers of the weak;
they are but the instruments of the wise.”
― Samuel Lover
― Samuel Lover
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