Cou de pied appears to be one of those steps that doesn’t line up with the whole “universal language of dance” idea. The Cecchetti Council’s printed syllabus calls this position “devant on the ankle,” but Ms. Gail Grant, calls it cou de pied. Many, many schools and teachers refer to it simply as “coupé” and do not differentiate between coupé the step and coupé the position.
Life Lessons on Injury: Arriving at Plan C
“Rarely do we stop to consider the idea of not dancing, or having a plan B if it doesn’t work out. I always considered myself a careful dancer, if not a rational one. I am meticulous about technique and proper form to prevent the chance of injury, but when the occasional sprained ankle or ingrown toenail came up my instinct was always to dance through it, or “walk it off”, as the saying goes.”
Lightbulb Moments: Pas De Chat
Every jump in ballet is preceded by a counter-movement, namely, a plie, and this is exceedingly effective in getting more height out of a jump (try jumping from straight legs and see what happens), not to mention protecting the achilles tendon from injury. In fact, people have studied jump height and found that maximum vertical height in a jump is higher using a counter movement than not (3). So it makes sense that we bend our knees before jumping.
Muscles 101: Comparing muscles to a rubber band might be stretching it….
While the image of a rubber band is useful in demonstrating the elastic nature of muscles in the stretch reflex, it’s not always as simple as the stretch/recoil and stretch-farther/less-recoil that we gain from thinking of muscles simply as rubber bands.
Is It Okay To Stretch Before Dance Class?
If you are stretching with the goal of long-term changes in your flexibility (for example, you can’t do the splits and would like to), save your stretching routine for after class or between barre and center when your muscles are “warm.” Generally speaking, both of the stretching techniques above have acute (short-lasting) effects on your range of motion before activity, but don’t really increase your overall flexibility.
What You Mean, What You Say: Get Up On Your Leg
“Get up on your leg”… Teachers have a habit of saying this when students are “sinking” into their supporting leg while balanced on one leg. How can you correct a sinking hip and what are some ways to rephrase this common dance teacher-ism.
