2 3 Terminology Tuesday Battement Retiré | Ballet Webb

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Terminology Tuesday Battement Retiré



Terminology Tuesday Battement Retiré

Both battement and retiré are familiar terms to most dancers. But battement retiré [bat-MAHN ruh-tee-RAY] refers to a different step.

Battement retiré is a term of both the French and Cecchetti schools and Gail Grant in her book Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet https://archive.org/stream/GailGrantBalletDictionary/Gail%20grant%20ballet%20dictionary_djvu.txt gives this description of the step:

“From the fifth position the working foot is lifted so that the toe is touching the hollow at the back of the knee of the supporting leg, and the thigh raised to the second position en l’air. With a staccato movement the foot is raised and lowered, alternating in the fifth position front and back, the accent being on the downward movement.”  (See the Link of the Day below beginning at 2:12)

Ms. Grant goes on to say that this is a useful exercise for warming up and as a preparation for développés.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Terminology Secret #81:
“Battement retiré means battement withdrawn or shortened.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“I like good strong words that mean something…”
― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

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