releve on to pointes

[Fred]

Confused about releve onto pointes. My teacher told us when we releve onto pointes we must draw our feet a bit in. In a book I got from RAD it also say when you releve you go direct from demi plie up to point drawing th toes slightly inwards. Hope this makes sence. My teacher teaches the RAD sylabus

 

I also got the Video dictioanry of clasical ballet. The way they show a releve onto pointes looks differant from what my teacher told me an what is descibed in the book I got. On the video she starts in demi plie, but from the point where she is standing flat until she reahces full pointe it looks if she just do a normal rise and her toes strays at the same place, it is not drawen in. Hope this makes sence is it is difficult to explain in words. This video is based on Russion, French and Cecchettic. Are there differant methods ito releve or am just overlooking somthing here ? In another book I've got ( Classical Ballet technique they also mentioned that the toes are drawen in a bit. But they say u usewhat is inbetwwen a light spring and rolling through the feet to go up en pointe.

 

I always thought the Russions uses a little spring to go on pointe.

 

Sorry if this sounds confusing but it is a bit diffcult describing this problem in words.

 

Thanks

Freddie

[citibob]

Which position is the releve happening in? When you go from fifth position releve to sous-sous, you draw your feet in so that only one toe but two heels are showing --- whether en pointe or in slippers. The difference is that in slippers you rise then very discreetly bring the back foot across; while en pointe, you bring BOTH feet together all at once DURING the rise.

[Jaana Heino]

Um, citibob, I've been taught to bring the front foot across and keep the back foot where it is when rising to fifth in slippers... is this yet another country difference? (My teachers come from mostly Vaganova basis.)

[citibob]

We were taught to bring the back foot across because it's less conspicuous when viewed from the front. But that doesn't stop me from bringing the front foot across instead, because it's somehow easier in my mind. I have no idea whether this difference has to do with country or with something else.

[Guest beckster]

My RAD teacher taught me that when doing a normal rise (eleve) the ###### of your feet don't move position. When doing a rise in 5th which will be held, e.g. at the end of a barre combination, or when turning, the front foot may be drawn across.

 

However, when doing a releve, the feet are "snatched" inwards so that the heels stay pretty much where they were and the toes move towards each other. Both feet have to move the same amount so your weight stays over them. That's because eventually you want to be able to do releve's with a retire, for pirouettes, and the supporting leg must be snatched in under the body for balance. It is the same with echappe' releve - both feet have to move out or in symmetrically to retain the weight in the centre.

[vrsfanatic]

Russian technique requires that you spring up and down with both feet for releve no matter which position you are in. For adagio work one may draw the front foot or the back foot across to fifth dependent upon the direction one is facing. In this case, the idea is to hide the fact that one foot moves at all. More often than not the spring up/spring down is used!

[Fred]

Hi, citibob, thanks for the reply. This will be from 1st and 2nd position, 5th is not a problem.

 

Thanks for all the other replies aswell.

 

Freddie

[Fred]

Hi, think I have just found the answer to my own question. According to the ABT's dictionary ( http://www.abt.org/education/dictionary/index.html ) there are 2 methods to do a releve.

 

Thanks angain for the replies

Freddie

[citibob]

Yea, my answer applied only to 5th position.

[balletowoman]

That's right. The difference is in the method. In the RAD method, you draw your feet (in relevé only though, not in a slow elevé onto the ball) 'underneath' you (so that you don't move at all even if you do several relevé on one foot after the other).

 

In the French method (and others), the relevé is as smooth as an elevé, but the difference is in the plié (there is none in the elevé) and the rhythm.

In a pirouette done the French way for eg, you 'elevé' onto the ball of the foot in a smooth motion (so you do move forward, without snatching the foot underneath you).

 

For the 'spring', the RAD doesn't really use this method (it's not a spring, it's a snatch, which is slightly different) Instead of the foot leaving the floor ever (which may happen with a slight spring) the foot is brushed inwards... So, the effect is not totally the same, but you get the same advantage of having the feet drawn together as for the Russian method.

[Jaana Heino]

I must correct what I said above. The crossing front foot I've been taught applies mainly to barre work; now that I think of it, in the center whichever is necessary is indeed used. The teacher has never explicitly said this in my hearing, but it has been in the combinations and I should think I'm old enough to figure things like this out by myself.

 

I am only familiar with the "Russian" style of little spring to pointes in 1st and 2nd (or anywhere); could some explain the other style and especially the "drawing of feet in" bit that Fred mentioned? I thought I had the basic idea of the smooth roll onto pointe even though we don't do it much yet, but the drawing in part doesn't fit to my mental image. Thank you!

[Guest beckster]

In my knowledge of RAD, the eleve (a smooth rise without a plie) does not use a drawing in of the foot. The exception is at the barre when you are turning to the other side, or when holding a balance. The releve is a different way of reaching (demi- or full) pointe, and this always uses a plie, and a spring-like movement although the feet never lose contact with the ground. In this step the feet are drawn towards each other. It's the same sort of "shunt" or "scoot" type feeling that is used in releve echappe.

[Jaana Heino]

Ngh. It might be that I'm just confused by the English language here. Half of the time I think I get it, and it's what we do, only explained very differently, and half of the time I don't get it at all.

 

I suppose it doesn't matter, though, as it's not something that affects my classwork, but just curiosity.

[Fred]

Hi, I had class tonight with my teacher who teaches Russian. I asked her about the springing onto pointe and she said they do not spring onto pointe, the way she describes it sounds exactly the same way I was told by my RAD teacher. My russian yeacher says it looks like a spring but tour feet do not lift of the ground.

Suppose you can call it a spring with out your feet leeving (sp) the ground.

 

Freddie

[Fred]

Releve en Pointes

 

Commercing from a demi plie the releve is taken directly onto pointes. Here it is neccessary to make a minimal adjustmant of the toes - retrackting them by a distance equivalent to the length of the toes - to establish the extanded line on pointe.

 

Lowering from pointes

 

Whwn returning to demi plie there is an extra lift in the body which releases the weight off the feet allowing the replacemant of the toes. The lowering of the heels to the floor must be controlled.

 

This information was obtained from the following book ; The Foundations Of Classical Ballet Technique

 

To any teacher or studant who follows the Russian method. Is the above methdod simmalar (sp) to the method u use ? If not how does it differ ?

 

Thanks

Freddie