couru's on pointe starting from B+

[Fred]

When we practice couru's in the centre we also start from B+ ( think it is called a clasical pose in RAD not 100% sure ). From B+ how do you rise on to pointes ,do you just rise, or do you fondu (sp) / plie first and rise from there on to pointes. ( hope this make sence ). If you fondu / plie first is it not a releve you use then to go on to pointes before start doing the couru's.

 

Hope this poor description makes sence.

 

Thanks

Freddie

[Victoria Leigh]

Freddie, I teach it with a tombé forward into demi plié on one foot and the couru starts with the second foot actually doing a piqué action. The tombé puts the body in forward motion, which makes continuing to run on point much easier. (I am speaking of pas couru here, not bourrées, as I think that is what you meant?)

 

Editing to clarify....I am speaking of the running on pointe in parallel position, not Pas de bourrée couru in 5th position.

[Fred]

Thanks for the reply Ms. Leigh, I am not refering to bourrées I am refering to couru's ( in Cecchetti it is called pas de bourree couru, in RAD we just talk of couru's ).

 

Thanks

Freddie

[skip]

ms. leigh,

 

i got confused reading your reply now, i always thought that bourrées and courus were the same. i had a teacher in london and he has been a principal dancer (either with english national ballet or royal ballet) and he named the step that the RAD calls courus, bourrées. so, now that you mention that there is a difference, may i please ask what the difference is...? (by the way, he was teaching at an RAD-summerschool and he is an RAD vocational graded examiner)

 

~SKIP~

[Fred]

Hi, sory for the confusion Skip, in mt RAD dictionary if you look up bourree they refer you to pas de bourree which is not the same as a couru as far as I know. On the other hand on my video dictionary they show that a Bourree, Couru and Pas de Bouree Couru is the same thing. Now that is what I was refering to in my first post. Sory for the confusion. Hopes this makes better sence.

 

Thanks

Freddie

[Mel Johnson]

Are we talking here about the step that leads off the Sugar Plum Fairy variation when the celesta starts playing, or something else?

[Fred]

You can get a nice example of this in Centre stage where Joudy (sp) practice alone in the studio at night. She does couru's ( bourree, pa de bourree couru ) from the left across to the right side of the studio ( when in 5th on pointe and you ove to the left, right, fron or back using small steps, our teacher allways says your back foot chase your front foot). Hope this makes sence.

 

Freddie

[Mel Johnson]

I'm afraid that's not much help; I don't have the movie, and I can't remember that sequence.

 

In RAD parlance, a pas de bourrée couru travels in the direction of the leading foot, and ends in an open position.

[Victoria Leigh]

Okay, Freddie, you were speaking of what I would call Bourrés. My answer was based on what I call Pas couru, which is tiny runs on pointe but in parallel position. Bourrées are in 5th position. Technically they are both Pas de bourrée couru, I believe, but I thought you were asking about the ones in parallel.

 

To answer your original question then, I still start from a plié on the front leg, but the back leg remains back and starts the bourrée with a piqué action.

[Susanne]

Ahem...sorry to interfere, but I have seen the movie (too) many times so I believe what Fred is referring to is what commonly is described as bourées. (Those tiny steps where you look as if you are just floating) It is referred to as pas de bourée coru int he ABT dictonary.

 

I hope this link to their video works!

http://media.abt.org/qtime/pas.bourree.couru.mov

 

 

Edit: Oh, it seems as Ms Leigh and I were responding at the same time

[Fred]

Thank you Ms Leigh, that'sbasicaly (sp) how I do it but was not 100% sure if it was the correct way. Thanks for the other replies aswell.

 

 

The video dictionary I got is bassed on the Russian, Frenche (sp) and Ceechetti method. The show both the steps the one in parrallel (sp) and in 5th position is called Bourree, Couru or pa de bourree couru.

 

Both my teacgers teaches the RAD sylabus and they both talk of couru's. In the RAD dictionary I got if you look up the word Bourree they refer you to Pa de Bourree which to me means that a bourree and a pa des bouree must be thee same other wise they would not refer you to the other word / phrase. That is why I though there is a differance between a Bourree and Couru.

 

Just curios, in RAD we talk about Couru's in Cecchetti it is called Pa de Bourree Couru's. Which method refers to it as Bourree's then ?

 

Thank you

Freddie

[Victoria Leigh]

I think, Fred, that using the term "bourrées" is just something some teachers do to differentiate not only the steps in 5th and in parallel, but also in just regular pas de bourrée dessous or dessus or any of the other gazillion ways of doing pas de bourrées! Americans, particularly I think, like to shorten things as well as to try and make it clear what they are talking about. I will admit to doing it in this case, although I have NEVER dealt with the use of "tour jeté", for instance, when making a grand jeté en tournant entrelacé. But, that is off topic! Just trying to figure out why the difference in the terms for the steps in question here.

[Fred]

Thanks for the explenation, Ms Leigh, I think I've got all my questions answered now.

 

Thanks

Freddie

[skip]

sorry that i confused everyone !!

 

fred, i also practise RAD and we call them courus. when i was at an RAD summerschool, the teacher called them bourrées and that was my confusion after seeing your question this morning.

 

now i have more question (ready for the confusion ;)?)...: pas de bourrée couru, is that not a pas de bourrée ending with a degage en fondu either in front, to the side or to the back?? (starting fifth with right foot in front, making a pas de bourrée to the side - stepping directly out to the side, not making a tendu with the starting foot first - and ending in fondu with the right foot in degage)

 

hope everyone still understands my question

 

one more thing about the courus, when reading back, i saw your answer ms. leigh that you call the tiny runs forward on pointe pas couru and the turned out in fifth bourrées, we (actually RAD:) call the turned out in fifth courus.

 

~SKIP~

[Fred]

Hi, Skip in my RAD dictionary the discription what you have given is a pa de bourree couru but after the discription in the dictionart they say that in the Solo Seal syllabus and in the Cecchetti school a Pa de Bourree Couru is what we call a couru. HTH

 

Freddie