Entrechat

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an equal six

An entrechat or changement battu is a jump from classical ballet in which the feet are crossed once or several times during the jump in the air.

Every opening and crossing of the legs is counted. An entrechat six is therefore a jump that both begins and ends in the 5th foot position and in which the feet are crossed three times in the air. A distinction is made between two types of entrechats . The "even" entrechats (deux, quatre, six, huit ...) end on both feet, the "odd" ones (trois, cinq, sept ...) on one foot. Due to the difficulty of the jump, some dancers have become famous for its execution:

  • The entrechat trois is also called entrechat royal after the French "sun king" Louis XIV .
  • The French dancer Marie Camargo is said to have been the first woman to perform an entrechat quatre on stage.
  • The Russian dancer Vaslav Nijinsky is said to have been able to perform an entrechat douze , i.e. an entrechat with legs crossed six times in the air.

literature

  • Eliza Gaynor Minden: The Ballet Companion: A Dancer's Guide to the Technique, Traditions, and Joys of Ballet . Simon and Schuster, New York 2005, ISBN 074326407X .
  • Robert Greskovic: Ballet 101: A Complete Guide To Learning and Loving The Ballet . Hal Leonard Corporation, Pompton Plains 1998, ISBN 0879103256 .
  • Sabrina Kuffer, Ursula Roth: Ballet: pirouettes, tutu and lace dance . Knowledge is child's play, Regensburg 2007, ISBN 3867510008 .