"Dancers are the athletes of God." -Albert Einstein
Introduction
Sissonne is one of the most exciting jumps in classical ballet. Because it is a jump that requires great height, it is often (but not exclusively) found in men's jump sequences. Even so, women often do sissonne, and they can even be done en pointe, as it is an extremely versatile step that can be done in many different ways. Regardless of how you do sissonne, here are some basic things that you must always be sure to do:
These things might seem obvious, but they are easy to forget, especially when you start to do quick sissonnes. Remember them, and you will be well on your way to mastering not only sissonne, but grand allegro.
- Use your plié
- Find your split
- Know how you will land, and get there!
These things might seem obvious, but they are easy to forget, especially when you start to do quick sissonnes. Remember them, and you will be well on your way to mastering not only sissonne, but grand allegro.
The Beginning
As with every other jump, you must plié to get off of the floor for sissonne. However, sissonne is always a very big jump, even when done in a petit or medium allegro. It is important to get height in the jump so that you have time to split your legs while you are still in the air. In order to do that, you absolutely must plié. Remember though, that taking a deep plié does not mean you should "sit" in your plié and force yourself off of the ground. Instead, Take a deep, but swift plié and spring back up and into the air right away.
The Jump
The hallmark of the sissonne is the splits you find in the air. It is common to kick the back leg up, but to forget to do the same with the front leg. As you jump off of the ground, really focus on bringing your front leg up so that you find a true split in the air. If you do not have a perfect split, don't worry! As long as you have found your split, that is what is important.
The Closing: Ouvert or Fermé
There are two options for how to finish a sissonne: ouvert (open) or fermé (closed). If you do a sissonne ouvert, it lands "open," with only one leg on the ground and the other in the air. This typically happens for sissonne in arabesque. For sissonne fermé, you land "closed," with both feet in fifth position. This is common for most sissonnes, and it is important to remember that you should try to close both feet into fifth at the same time (as opposed to landing on one leg, and then closing the other after). Regardless of how you close the jump, you must always plié. This will protect your knees, make your landing quiet, and it will help you move into the next step.
Types of Sissonnes
Almost any sissonne can be ouvert or fermé, but we can still choose the direction of the sissonne. The most common is sissonne devant, or moving forward. For this kind of sissonne, you typically can begin with a plié in either croissé or éfacé, but you always land in éfacé. If you start in croissé and land in the opposite croissé, this is called sissonne changé (sissonne changed). You can also do sissonne derrière (to the back), or sissonne à la seconde. The latter is typically done en face, travelling side to side. In this case, the sissonne is always changé (changing feet).
The most unique sissonne is called sissonne renversé. This is done side to side, but you add a small developpé to the jump. Here, you travel towards the back leg, and as you jump into the air, your front leg does a small developpé through coupé devant and into an extension to the side. The bottom (back) leg points downwards and towards the floor, and you land on it with the other leg still in the developpé. This can be done with low extensions (usually for petit allegro) or with big extensions (for grand and medium allegros).
The most unique sissonne is called sissonne renversé. This is done side to side, but you add a small developpé to the jump. Here, you travel towards the back leg, and as you jump into the air, your front leg does a small developpé through coupé devant and into an extension to the side. The bottom (back) leg points downwards and towards the floor, and you land on it with the other leg still in the developpé. This can be done with low extensions (usually for petit allegro) or with big extensions (for grand and medium allegros).
