Echappé meaning to escape involves the legs escaping from a fifth position to a fourth or second position. Both legs move from a plié at the same time to a fully extended position. An echappé can be jumped to a plié known as echappé sauté or in a relevé sur les pointes (on pointe) or demi pointes. Common mistakes with this step involve not keeping the weight evenly distribution between both legs and favouring either the front or the back leg. Also when performedin a relevé it’s important to use all of the floor and swish from fifth to the second/fourth position rather than jump to a relevé position.
Below I will describe how to perform an echappe sauté to second.
1. Starting in fifth position arms in bras bas
2. Take the arms to first demi plié making sure not to bend the knees too far over the balls of the feet.
3. Keeping the arms in first spring up into the air pushing the floor away and pointing the toes to the ground. Stretch through the metatarsals of the feet to achieve this.
4. Taking the arms to second the legs now scissors to the side and maintain this fully stretched position for a brief moment. 5. The legs then plié in second position again taking care not to plié past the balls of the feet. The arms stay in second position.
6. The feet then jump back together in fifth position pushing the floor away again and pointing the toes using the metatarsals. Return the arms to bras bas.
7.Demi plié.
8. Stretch to fifth position.
At Balletic we follow the bbodance ballet syllabus which in turn uses the ‘Gail Grant Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet‘ for all of it‘s terminology. Diagrams may be different to what you are used to based on the school of ballet that you follow.
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