"Dance when you're broken open. Dance if you've torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you're perfectly free." -Rumi
Introduction
Saut de chat is probably the most common step used in grand allegro. It creates a beautiful line that is visible for several seconds (unusual for jumps) and is versatile in terms of style. It also gives a great liberating feeling, which makes it popular among dancers, as well as choreographers. When doing your saut de chat, here is what to think about:
- Find your true split
- Don't forget your standard corrections (i.e. point your feet and keep your knees straight)
- Don't collapse your upper body
- Use your devéloppé, but don't forget about your back leg
The Split
At the top of your saut de chat, you want to be in your truest, most correct split. That simple line is what makes this step so beautiful; if your split is off, then the line in your jump will be too. So, it is important to practice your splits correctly, especially when you are stretching.
First of all, you must keep your hips and shoulders squarely in front of you. Although you back hip will lift slightly, you should still try to to keep your hips parallel to the floor and square, just as you would in arabesque. Make sure you are also practicing your splits with good turn out, pointed feet and toes, and straight knees. This will ensure that your lines are clean and are not distracting from anything else you are doing.
Once you can sit in your split, focus on holding your upper body properly. Try to lean yourself slightly forward, so that your shoulders are hovering over your hips, as they do when you stand at the barre. Practice holding your arms out in various "saut de chat" port de bras, such as third arabesque, fifth en haut, or first arabesque. As you extend your arms out, imagine that you are flying through the air, and try to lead the movement with your sternum.
First of all, you must keep your hips and shoulders squarely in front of you. Although you back hip will lift slightly, you should still try to to keep your hips parallel to the floor and square, just as you would in arabesque. Make sure you are also practicing your splits with good turn out, pointed feet and toes, and straight knees. This will ensure that your lines are clean and are not distracting from anything else you are doing.
Once you can sit in your split, focus on holding your upper body properly. Try to lean yourself slightly forward, so that your shoulders are hovering over your hips, as they do when you stand at the barre. Practice holding your arms out in various "saut de chat" port de bras, such as third arabesque, fifth en haut, or first arabesque. As you extend your arms out, imagine that you are flying through the air, and try to lead the movement with your sternum.
The Devéloppé
The devéloppé is how you get into your split, so it is important to attack it and use it to your advantage. As you prepare to go into the jump (from glissade, or whatever other preparation you may be coming from), you need to really use a big devéloppé since this will give you height in your jump and will also help you to travel forward. Approach the devéloppé as you would if you were doing it at the barre: go through the highest passé you can before extending your leg out. The higher your passé is, the higher your jump will be and the further it will travel.
Many people get caught up in doing the devéloppé, which is great, but they tend to forget about their back leg. If you don't bring your back leg with you, you end up without a split, and therefore without a saut de chat. You need to battement your back leg up with lots of energy as you get into the jump. But, don't try to just find your split right away and "split" your legs into the jump. Instead, imagine yourself traveling along a track shaped like a rainbow or arc. Let your back leg come up as your hips pass over the very top of the rainbow. This will ensure that you are at your deepest split while you are at the top of the jump.
Many people get caught up in doing the devéloppé, which is great, but they tend to forget about their back leg. If you don't bring your back leg with you, you end up without a split, and therefore without a saut de chat. You need to battement your back leg up with lots of energy as you get into the jump. But, don't try to just find your split right away and "split" your legs into the jump. Instead, imagine yourself traveling along a track shaped like a rainbow or arc. Let your back leg come up as your hips pass over the very top of the rainbow. This will ensure that you are at your deepest split while you are at the top of the jump.
Important Links
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