CriticalDance Forum

Not quite sure if I spelled that right but, what are they? I'd like to know atleast SOME before I got to ballet

We had a thread on this a short while ago, but I am not sure the matter was clear - LOL - I think we confused ourselves.<P>Simply put - relevé is a rise from a flat foot to a demi-pointe or full pointe. In some "schools" it is done as one continuous smooth action and in other schools it is done with a little spring.<P>You can see and read about this at this site - <P><A HREF="http://www.abt.org/library/dictionary/index.html" TARGET=_blank><B>ABT Dictionary</B></A>

I was told that a releve is when you draw the foot and go on to demi-pointe ot pointe. The pointe of your foot doesn't stay at the same place, it sweeps underneath you..I don't know if I explain it right. When you just rise and don't move the pointe, then it's simply called rise.<P>------------------<BR>For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness...

How does one achieve the effect you describe, Annie? I've noticed several professionals doing this (and my teacher does too, even though she swears she does not) - I've tried to duplicate it en pointe, but I only succeed in hopping around like a froggie.

The effect is achieved by working down the entire inner thigh straight into the feet. It's only on pointe - not demi-pointe. You have to really pull upward on the heels.

But, Basheva, at my school we do it on demi-pointe, when we say a releve we mean going on demi-pointe while drawing the foot underneath you->the place of the toes change. It's like doing it on pointe. And, of course, the rise is when you leave the toes where they are and go on demi-pointe.

Annie, when you talk about doing this releve on demi-pointe, are you talking about doing it on both feet at the same time? If so, it would seem that your school's terminology for this action is what we have referred to as sous-sus, the drawing of the feet together underneath you as you spring up. And your rises seem to be the same as what many of us call releves. Or eleves... It gets a little confusing, as we have different names for the sames steps and actions.

I agree with what Nancy has said.<P>A teacher once told me that she uses the terms "relevé" when there is a simple rise - smooth - no spring - no change of where the toes end up.<P>She uses "sous-sus" to indicate a spring - however slight that may be, where there is a replacement of the toes.<P>She never uses "elevé" for the very reason Nancy cited - it can lead to confusion, and is difficult to hear over the sound of the music when the teacher is talking and using the words "relevé" or "elevé".<P>Made sense to me, so as a teacher I never used the word "elevé" but sous-sus, instead. I told my students about the word so they uderstood that a different teacher might use it, but that I did not.

I will ask my teacher about it. Not now of course, cause we are on holiday....in September?? <BR>

Annie, your terminology is the same as the syllabus that I teach. Are you following the IDTA syllabus?<P>To releve in the IDTA syllabus means to snatch. The toe takes the place of the heel, therefore there is movement and a slight spring. There is alot of releve work as you get higher through the grades. Releves are included in all pirouettes and preparation for pirouettes. We also do releves 2 feet to 2, 2feet to 1 foot, 1 foot to 1 foot. We call a rise, simply rising through the foot with no movement of the toes at all.<P>Having said that when I went to college my teacher always used the term releve to do what I called a rise. Very confusing! But it taught me that there are so many ways that things can be described. <P>Releves are performed on demi pointe initially and them by elementary on pointe as well.<p>[This message has been edited by Jane Palmer (edited July 07, 2001).]

Annie - the best place to start is ALWAYS with your teacher.<P>Jane - I love that word "snatch" - I really do. LOL<P>Now if we could just engage the snatch...

Just to throw another fly in the ointment, I remember a teacher or two who differentiated between releve and eleve depending on whether you were preparing in a plie (for releve) or with straight legs (for eleve). Neither action involved "the snatch." Oh, dear!!!<P>I suppose awareness of different terminologies and different ways of accomplishing steps is a good thing, if a bit confusing at the outset. It's not a matter of right or wrong. And the miracle is, as many different schools, styles, techniques, syllabi, etc. there are, we still pretty much understand each other!

Nancy, I have always subscribed to your definition of releve and eleve, and it is what I teach in class.

Nancy's and ducinea's definitions are what I've always been taught too... just for the record.

I teach the same syllabus as Jane so I describe releve and rise in the same way. I did ISTD ballet as a child and I seem to remember they used the same terminology.