chennes

[Skittl1321]

Is chennes an alternate spelling of chaines, a different step entirely, or just a misspelling?

 

It appears as one of the level "skills" on my new schools website, and I was going to send in a correction email, but, well, I don't know all the steps- so I wanted to make sure it was actually a mistake...

 

 

(Not sure if this should have gone on the Buddy Board, but if a chenne is an actual different step, I'd love to know what it is- which is why I put it on the technique board.)

[swantobe]

I've never heard of "chennes" and according to my French dictionary there is no word/verb that I could see could work in ballet.

A "chêne" is an oak tree and that's the closest spelling in my dictionary.

[xSugarplum]

It's "chaines" (excuse lack of accents). It basically means the turns are in succession, or "in a chain". There is no such thing as "chennes" but I've seen many people spell it that way.

 

My old teacher used to call "Sissones" (named after the creator of the step, apparently) as "ciseaux" which means scissors. A lot of people make these kinds of mistakes and spell things phonetically.

[ToThePointe]

Per Gail Grant the official term is "tours chaines deboules." I have heard the step shortened to both just chaines or deboules.

 

Sissonne and ciseaux have nothing to do with the step.

 

A sissonne is typically a jump from two feet to one foot, and ciseaux is one of two steps, one also named ecate en l'aire (think changement through second), and pas de ciseaux which is a complicated male jump related to a cabriole devant.

[xSugarplum]

I know sissones have nothing to do with chaines, I was just using that as an example that sometimes people write things phonetically. I didn't know, however, that ciseaux was a step....I suspect it doesn't look anything like sissonnes though. Ah, so confusing, time for my ballet dictionary to be of use!

[ToThePointe]

I apologize, xSugarplum. I realized upon going over your post again, that I misread it the first time. I thought that your teacher used to call chaines, sissones or ciseaux. My bad.

 

 

In this clip on Mr. Simkin's youtube chanel you can see him do an incredible pas de ciseaux around 1:08 into the clip (I hope it's okay to post this as Mr. Simkin himself put it on youtube).

Daniil Simkin Pas de Ciseaux

[Mel Johnson]

In another system, a ciseaux is also what most of us call a grand écart à la seconde (when we call it anything).

[swantobe]

Is that the correct link? The Corsaire pas de deux? In which case, I think it is Maria Kochetkova who does the ciseaux at about 2:46...I think. Then Simkin does one at about 4:54.

 

(I'm not entirely sure what a pas de ciseaux looks like so I'm just guessing...)

[Hans]

I apologize, xSugarplum. I realized upon going over your post again, that I misread it the first time. I thought that your teacher used to call chaines, sissones or ciseaux. My bad.

 

 

In this clip on Mr. Simkin's youtube chanel you can see him do an incredible pas de ciseaux around 1:08 into the clip (I hope it's okay to post this as Mr. Simkin himself put it on youtube).

Daniil Simkin Pas de Ciseaux

 

I don't see a pas de ciseaux in that clip...?

[ToThePointe]

The clip is "Daniil Simkin - Just a Clip."

 

I double checked it and like I said it comes up about 1:08 in to it.

 

He doesn't land in arabesque though. He jumps with the right, switches left, and then switches right again landing on the left leg.

 

I know he does the traditional one landing in arabesque. I'll look for it and post it when I find it.

[Hans]

Ah, I see. I know "pas de ciseaux" as something different.

[Mel Johnson]

Look for ciseaux in his Flames of Paris clips. There's a whole lot of razzmatazz going on there, too, but he's our Dan'l, and we love him anyway!

[ToThePointe]

I found this one at about 6:04, but again he isn't landing in arabesque.

Don Quixote

 

Per Major Mel's suggestion at around 5:42

Flames of Paris

 

I can't find one though landing in arabesque.

[Mel Johnson]

The one that opens devant is known in some circles as a "pistolet".

[ToThePointe]

Which, according to Gail Grant, is also know as an Ailes de Pigeon. But in her description, she states that the legs should beat like a cabriole, switch and beat again, then switch one more time.

 

Edited to add: Thank you Major Mel for the lead on what the one opening devant is called. I keep a copy of Gail Grant next to my computer and looked pistolet up when you posted it.