En dehors?

[Dolphingirl]

I just got back from the Mid-States Regional Dance America Festival, and I had a really good time. My classes were, for the most part, wonderful. One question did arise for me during our jazz class. The teacher used "en de hors" to describe turnout. She would tell us to stand in first position en de hors, or first position parallel. It is not a use I've ever heard before, and none of the people I asked had ever heard that use before either. It makes sense, I suppose, but I was wondering if it is actually a proper use of the term.

[Mel Johnson]

Yes, it's a proper term used by some people as an exact synonym for turnout. And that's what "en dehors" means anyway - toward the outside.

[Dolphingirl]

Thanks! It does make sense, but I've never heard it used before. I guess in ballet, turn out is pretty much implied, so it doesn't really need to be specified.

[Mel Johnson]

Yes, in classical ballet, turnout is very much assumed, but in the classroom, sometimes a bit of modern creeps in where it's useful and so first parallel, first neutral, and even SIXTH position(Lifar) mean the same thing.