"I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion." -Muhammad Ali
Introduction
Pas de basque originally comes from the Basque country of Spain, hence its name. The original step came straight from Basque folk dancing, and was incorporated into (and adapted for) ballet as the art form spread across Europe. While Pas de basque is rarely seen outside of technique class, it does come up in more stylized ballets, such as "Carmen," "Don Quixote," and "Sleeping Beauty." In addition, it's a great step to learn and practice intricate footwork in petite allegro, so it should certainly be a part of every dancer's training. Keep reading for tips, videos, and more on pas de basque!
How to Do the Pas de Basque: Legs
First, it's important to note that there are many ways to end a pas de basque, and different techinques and teachers have different preferences. The ending of the step may affect how the rest of the step is done, but only minimally. Just keep that in mind as you are practicing.
You should start your pas de basque in fifth position, croissé. As you release to tendu devant, take a deep plié and lean slightly forward over your working leg. This is exactly the same position that you use for the long, extended rond de jambes done at the barre. Next, rond de jambe your working leg to the side, and while you do so you should change your body to écarté derrière, so that now you are facing the other front corner of the room. Once you have changed your body position, you finish with a small, low glissade, traditionally closing in fifth position croissé. The pas de basque is now done. While it can be helpful to practice the step broken down in steps like I just described (especially the rond de jambe), you should aim to make everything happen smoothly, and not broken down into sections. In addition, there are two dynamic options for pas de basque: it can be done as a quick, short jump, in which case you should emphasize the glissade part, and keep the rond de jambe short and sweet, or it can be done more leisurely so that you emphasize the ronde de jambe, and think of the glissade as a simple weight change instead of a jump. Either way, the pas de basque should happen in one fell swoop, and you want the motion to be smooth.
That is the most basic pas de basque. Like I said, the ending may be changed slightly. One very common change happens because pas de basque is frequently a transition step. Usually, it transitions into either assemblé or chassé devant. For either option, you can do the pas de basque just as I described it above, ending in fifth position croissé, and then going from the ending plié straight into chassé, or chassé and then assemblé. The other option different; instead of closing the glissade in fifth position, bring the second leg of the glissade into coupé devant, and then step onto that leg to transition into the next step. The coupé method should only be used if there is a step happening immediately after the pas de basque, whereas the fifth position method offers more flexibility.
You should start your pas de basque in fifth position, croissé. As you release to tendu devant, take a deep plié and lean slightly forward over your working leg. This is exactly the same position that you use for the long, extended rond de jambes done at the barre. Next, rond de jambe your working leg to the side, and while you do so you should change your body to écarté derrière, so that now you are facing the other front corner of the room. Once you have changed your body position, you finish with a small, low glissade, traditionally closing in fifth position croissé. The pas de basque is now done. While it can be helpful to practice the step broken down in steps like I just described (especially the rond de jambe), you should aim to make everything happen smoothly, and not broken down into sections. In addition, there are two dynamic options for pas de basque: it can be done as a quick, short jump, in which case you should emphasize the glissade part, and keep the rond de jambe short and sweet, or it can be done more leisurely so that you emphasize the ronde de jambe, and think of the glissade as a simple weight change instead of a jump. Either way, the pas de basque should happen in one fell swoop, and you want the motion to be smooth.
That is the most basic pas de basque. Like I said, the ending may be changed slightly. One very common change happens because pas de basque is frequently a transition step. Usually, it transitions into either assemblé or chassé devant. For either option, you can do the pas de basque just as I described it above, ending in fifth position croissé, and then going from the ending plié straight into chassé, or chassé and then assemblé. The other option different; instead of closing the glissade in fifth position, bring the second leg of the glissade into coupé devant, and then step onto that leg to transition into the next step. The coupé method should only be used if there is a step happening immediately after the pas de basque, whereas the fifth position method offers more flexibility.
How to Do the Pas de Basque: Arms
Just as with every other step in ballet, you should coordinate your arms and legs in pas de basque. When you are in fifth position, your arms should be en bas. As you move into the tendue soutenue devant to start, move your arms into first position, and open them to second position as you go into the rond de jambe. If you close fifth, just bring your arms from second position back to en bas, and finish. If you are transitioning into a new step, go from second position, through en bas, and back up to first position. From there, the arms may change depending on the next step.
Important Links
Sorry everyone, I really struggled to find good pas de basque videos and articles for this post! In the meantime, check out these fun links!
A Ballet Education Blog: not about pas de basque, but a great resource!
Misty Copeland recreates Degas paintings
Too Sore to Move?
Fun Interview with Ashley Bouder
A Ballet Education Blog: not about pas de basque, but a great resource!
Misty Copeland recreates Degas paintings
Too Sore to Move?
Fun Interview with Ashley Bouder