what is a "grand cambré lunge"?

[trixif]

Hello all,

 

I'm new here and very glad to have found this forum! I am freelance translator (English to German) specializing, among other things, in dance subjects. Right now I am translating one half of Jaqui Haas's "Dance Anatomy", and sometimes I and my colleague doing the other half are not quite sure what she means ...

 

Could somebody explain what a "grand cambré lunge" is? It's the "lunge" part that's our problem - could it mean a cambré done in fourth? Ms. Haas states that it "calls for deep knee flexion and a strong quadriceps contraction", but in a "normal" cambré, both knees would both be straight, not flexed, wouldn't they?

 

Please help!

[MJ]

Lunge is always done with one knee bent, mostly the front knee. A grande cambre lunge is done all the time, especially with port de bras.

 

For example:

 

Tendu to fourth, lunge, then circular port de bras.

 

It is a great exercise for the back.

[Hans]

The "deep knee flexion" tells me that it could be referring to Vaganova 6th port de bras. Here is a general description of the basic movement:

 

Stand on the right foot with the left foot pointe tendue croisée derrière, left arm raised to 3rd position (aka 5th en haut), right arm in 2nd position.

 

Bend the supporting knee, allowing the working foot to slide backward on the floor. Keep the supporting heel on the ground.

 

At the same time, bend forward, so that the torso and working leg form a straight line.

 

Bring the torso upright as you straighten the supporting knee.

 

There is more to it than that, involving épaulement, etc., but that's the basic idea. If you have Gail Grant's dictionary, there is yet another description of grand port de bras.

[Mazenderan]

Is it a bit like the backbends in Nikiya's variation in La Bayadere? When she dances for Gamzatti and Solor?

[Claude_Catastrophique]

I agree with Hans, I was immediately thinking of the 6th Port de bras because I had a teacher who always talked about a "lunge" when we had to do a movement with one foot pointed on the floor in fourth and and the supporting leg's knee bent and the upper body doing cambré. She was english and taught RAD (for your information).

[trixif]

Yes, I do have Gail Grant's dictionary, but I hadn't made the connection grand --> grand port des bras. Thanks to all of you, it's much clearer now. Now I only have to find the correct German term ...

[Claude_Catastrophique]

I just checked my Vaganova-Book that is in german to see what translation they use and there is none (or not a specific term for it). The only translation I know for it would be "Ausfallschritt" but this sounds to sporty to me and would seem strange in a balletbook... it's more sliding than stepping, isn't it?