Gyro Spyro Posted April 16, 2008 Report Share Posted April 16, 2008 I fellow dancer and I run into a question today. She's working on a choreography where a jump which - as far as I know - is called "Pas de Vache" - "Cow step" is going to be used. The jump is like an inverse Pas de Chat, with the legs thrown behind the body in an fairy open attitude position, instead of lifted up under the body like in Pas de Chat I have a vague remembrance that the jump is named Pas de Vache - Cow Step, but I’m not sure. Anyone who can enlighten us? Quote Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 While I must confess ignorance of any step called pas de vache, I honestly believe that I have witnessed it more than a few times in my life, and maybe even done it a couple of times, accidentally. What you're describing sounds much like the Russian (Vaganova and Legat) pas de chat. Or even the old French pas de papillon. Quote Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted April 17, 2008 Administrators Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 I would call it a temps de fleche en arrière, or, a jeté passé en arrière. I have never heard of Pas de Vache. Quote Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 Could be those, too, especially the former, with its terminal "-sh" sound. Quote Link to comment
ami1436 Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 If I'm reading this right - it's the same step as discussed (at length) here: Terminology Question Page 3 onwards.... Quote Link to comment
citibob Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 This thread made me laugh. Somehow, bovine beings are not what I think about when I imagine the grace involved in ballet. Search as I did, I could not find any "pas de vache," nor have I ever heard that term. But now that I think of it, it could be used to effectively describe some things I see now and again, hopefully not on stage! Quote Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 It might be useful to speculate upon what a pas de vache would look like. I believe that I've done one when doing a sissonne tombée into what should have been a pas de bourrée and ended up skidding all the way across the stage. We never did figure out how I did that, and then there's the pas de vache allongé, where I ended up flat on my back, doing my own choreography, no less. You never heard of cow-tipping? Quote Link to comment
Pirou Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 I'll admit that when I first saw this thread, I got all excited and had to restrain myself from making a bunch of posts about "pas de singe." Quote Link to comment
Gyro Spyro Posted April 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 Bovine beings hmm... Yes I admit that the step doesn’t look very graceful, but in the choreography it is a group of trolls who dance the step and you wouldn’t expect trolls to be graceful Quote Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 Bovine beings hmm... Yes I admit that the step doesn’t look very graceful, but in the choreography it is a group of trolls who dance the step and you wouldn’t expect trolls to be graceful This situation is especially true when there ARE no trolls in the cast list. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.