Guest alliecat93 Posted August 23, 2002 Report Share Posted August 23, 2002 I have been wondering about this for a long time- where do you put your working foot in a passe? Do you have it in front of the knee, kind of where it dents in a little bit or should it be on the side of your knee? The reason I ask is because I have one teacher who tells us we should have it slightly in front of our knee and we can press our foot against our leg and that will help us balance and the other teacher tells us it shouldn't be in front or back of the leg. It should be on the side just barely touching. Are these both correct? If so, what methods are they from. If not, which one is wrong? I can't believe I haven't asked before, I've just done it how the teacher wants it in their class. Thanks! Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted August 23, 2002 Report Share Posted August 23, 2002 There really is no such thing as a position called passé. There is retiré, and raccourci, and a few other names, but passé is a movement, or at least an adjective describing a movement. In a retiré, the point of the toe of the working leg comes to a place on the front of the leg just below the kneecap. Some Russian schools, like Legat, take it out to the dimple at the side of the knee, but in most methods, that's just another place through which the working leg "passé"s on its way to extension. Link to comment
Guest Ballet_babe_123 Posted August 28, 2002 Report Share Posted August 28, 2002 In our studio (which stresses Vaganova) we are taught to put our toe in the little indent (for lack of better term) under the kneecap on the inner part of the knee. When teaching beginner ballet we tell the children that that is what that little space is for, for the toe to go when it is in retiré. Haven't had anyone question the theory yet ;) Link to comment
Guest BroadwayDiva8 Posted August 28, 2002 Report Share Posted August 28, 2002 at one of my old dance studios where i used to go when i was younger. my ballet teacher told us that in passe your toe goes in the "little indent" and it was called the baby toe holder! Link to comment
Guest pavlovadancer Posted August 30, 2002 Report Share Posted August 30, 2002 I believe what you are referring to is pose passe? I am in pre-elementary RAD, and according to my teacher, it is in front, not at the side. Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted August 30, 2002 Report Share Posted August 30, 2002 Your teacher is quite correct, in a posé passé, the little toe nestles in the little dimple at the underpart of the kneecap, (the "chin" of the little face on the knee?) as was noted above, not with the great toe just touching the side of the knee. I am assuming, of course, that the supporting leg is well-rotated and turned out! Link to comment
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