Frappes

[Balletlove]

Hello all

 

I havent been on the board for a while, work and ballet have been keeping me busy... but now I have a question and I do realise that the different methods may have different rules, so just to state I dance under the Cecchetti method.

 

In one of the early major levels there is a frappe exercise which goes, four singles, four doubles, four singles, three doubles and a rise; but what we dont seem to be able to find anywhere is a rule on how to beat these.

We would prepare the foot so that it is flexed in the front of the supporting foot, strike out closing back, strike out closing front, strike out closing back strike out closing front... now do you beat front back and then strike out from the back or back front and then strike out from the front?

 

I can understad the logic of both of these approaches, but would like some views please

[Redbookish]

I was taught that you strike as you battement out, and that if you are doing singles en croix it's exactly like battement tendus.

 

Doubles en croix: devant: strike going out on the battement, beat front back, then straight out to second, beat front back, then derriere, beat back, front, ready to go to second. It's logical that way, I think?

 

If all the frappés are to second, you alternate, I think? So you do the battement from both front and back, alternating, so you get used to working both devant and derriere.

 

But the teacher and the syllabus should specify, I'd have thought ...

 

Let's hope a teacher comes along to give expert advice.

[Balletlove]

Oops Redbookish, I forgot to mention that they are all a la second.

 

The syllabus actually just states alternating, and my teacher and I together can see arguments for both and so I am just looking for views here.

 

One argument would be to think about where the strike action is coming from and to alternate that; the other would just be to alternate the beats.

[Willimus]

I never studied the Cecchetti method so I can't say for sure...my instinct tells me that the first double should beat "back front" if the last of the single frappes is coming from the back. However, as a teacher I believe that you will get the full benefit of the exercise either way. I find that I can sometimes get very obsessive about certain details...VERY OBSESSIVE. My friends and collegues often contact me to solve disputes on terminology and points of "correctness"...but at some point I do start to realize, that if we are getting the benefit of the the exercise...do these sort of tiny details really matter that much? There must be someone on this site who has studied The Cecchetti method and knows the answer...I'd be very curious as to whether my instincts were right.

[Hans]

I think the most correct answer is that the teacher should tell you how s/he wants it done. Sometimes we forget to mention small things like that, so it is perfectly polite to ask if you're not sure.

[SewRibbons]

I did study Cecchetti method for many years as a girl but can't tie my instinct on this to remembering formally how Cecchetti does it. But, I would do this exercise by always alternating a front or back, from where your foot last was.

 

Four singles: front, back, front, back.

Four doubles: front/back-out, back/front-out, front/back-out, back/front-out

Four singles: back, front, back, front

Three doubles: back/front-out, front/back-out, back/front-out

 

Your book says alternating - this is what I would interpret as alternating and how I've always done them. We still do them this way in my adult class which is not Cecchetti.

[Redbookish]

I think I was taught in Cechetti syllabus classes as SewRibbons suggests. You need to be able to beat front-back, and back-front. So I'd assume they're alternated.

 

And of course in my first answer, I assumed that it was en croix and the first was just a single -- because of course it's beat then strike for doubles, so to second, assuming you start with your foot held in front of your ankle, you'd go back-front-out, then front-back-out.

[Balletlove]

Thank you for all the replies everyone.

 

Hans, I would absolutely agree with you that the teacher should tell you how she/he wants it done and she does give an explanation as to why she would adopt the beat "back front" as suggested by Willimus.

 

I raised this merely as a curiosity question as there are definitely different views and seemingly no standard answer. My teacher and I were discussing this the other day after the question arose in the Intermediate Foundation class... I instinctively beat the first double "front back" as SewRibbons suggests (thereby alternating the beat each time) although I do understand what Willimus and my teacher are saying about alternating where the strike comes from.

 

I am currently busy with Advanced I and dance my exam in three weeks time, while at the same time I am being groomed to take my associate exam in September (and am relearning/refreshing my knowledge of all the syllabus work from previous grades) and thus all these interesting points are discussed between my teacher and I all the time in preparation for my associate.

[LaFilleSylphide]

I am always confused by this as well, but I don't study Cecchetti method. Can someone clarify something related for me? When I want my foot to end up in the front/conditional or closing front fifth at some point, would I start "Back-front"? Vice versa, if I need my foot to end up working in the back derriere, does it need to first beat front-back? This is how I've always done it, but reading on here abot all these even number (4 single beats) frappés starting from the front and frappe-ing back first is further confusing me. However, 4 doubles frappé-ing front-back first makes sense to me. Of corse, I'm talking about batterie in general like beaten assemblé as well as a frappé exercise at the barre.

[Clara 76]

The frappe needs to beat opposite of where it's ending, then beat where it's ending:

So 4 doubles en Croix:

preparation- tendu second, place sur le cou-de-pied devant

then beat back/front frappe devant

Next beat front/back frappe seconde

Next beat front/back frappe derriere

Next beat back/front frappe seconde

[LaFilleSylphide]

Thank you Clara, I thought so. Wasn't sure if I read the above wrong or if I was over thinking it!