Fondu

[fawn-DEW], officially “sinking down”, is referred to by most dancers as “the melting step”. Probably because we all know and love to eat cheese and chocolate  fondu. Fondu is the equivalent of a one-legged plié – starting generally from fifth position, the working leg moves to conditional cou-de-pied while the standing leg bends simultaneously. Both legs then extend at the same time to either a dégagé, ninety degree, or higher extension of the leg. Fondu can also refer to a slow and controlled landing from a jump or partnered lift. 

Why we do it

Fondu is a great step to unfold or grow into a fully extended position. Fondu as a landing (rather than the step) is the most ideal way to land from a jump because it decreases unneeded impact on the knees, hips, and ankles. Well, and all of the joints in general. The beginning of the fondu step is also the most stable position for balance on the standing leg. A bent standing leg can compensate for alignment that is less than ideal and can allow for adjustment of balance between movements.

How to do it better

• Many dancers tend to sink backward when performing fondu devant and à la seconde. Be sure to think of pulling up along the front of your body below your belly button as you plié. And don’t let your junk fall out of your trunk.
• While it is fairly easy to bend both legs at the same time during the first half of fondu, most dancers do not lengthen both legs at the same time on the extension of the legs. Because the working leg has a significantly longer distance to cover, most dancers end up straightening their standing leg much faster than their working leg. Don’t do that.
• When you’re fondu-ing, make sure that your upper body does not cave or slump. Try fondu with your back against a wall and keep the back of your shoulders attached the entire time. 

Photo credit: John Manning

Dancers (L-R): Katy Nicholson, Caitlyn Faucher, Emma Touhey

Cou-de-pied

[coo-duh-PYAY] refers to the section of the lower leg between the heel and the bottom of the calf. Officially “neck of the foot”, this position is generally lumped into the phrase sur le cou-de-pied (on the neck of the foot) and refers to the position in which the working foot is wrapped around this area, heel in front of the leg and toes behind the leg. 

Cou-de-pied also refers to the position that most Americans think of as “coupé”. In the devant (or front) pointed sur le cou-de-pied position, the smallest toe touches the front of the lower shin and the heel presses toward the front while in the derrière (or rear) basic cou-de-pied posiiton, the inside of the heel rests below the standing calf and the toes actively rotate away from the working leg. 

AND that crazy un-ballet-like position from which most dancers frappé? Guess what? That’s also sur le cou-de-pied. But officially, it is called “conditional sur le cou-de-pied”. Devant and derrière.

Bonus geeky stuff: In the Cecchetti method, sur le cou-de-pied is a similar but lower position in which the toes and bottom of the ball of the foot rest on the floor. 

Why we do it

Cou-de-pied is the starting and finishing position of numerous more advanced movements. Battements fondus, développés, frappés, battements soutenus, sauté de basque, and many more. Other than the five basic positions, cou-de-pied is the most used preparatory position for dynamic movement. Correct execution also forces dancers to further engage turn out muscles as the leg lifts from the floor.

How to do it better

• In order to correctly wrap the foot, the peroneus longus muscle, or the muscle on the outermost part of the lower leg. Grab a theraband and wrap it around the outer part of your foot, hold it inside with your hand, and move your ankle and foot from inside to outside for a few tries. That burning sensation? Your peroneus longus.
• Cou-de-pied starts in the rotation of the ENTIRE leg from the hip joint. Many dancers erroneously attempt to perform cou-de-pied from the knee down. Which is NOT good for the knees!
• Don't sickle!!! That's good advice in life in general, but SPECIFIALLY in cou-de-pied devant (front) it's super easy to do so. So . . . don't. 

Photo credit: John Manning
Dancers (L-R): Julia (Juju) Lotz, Sydney McPherson, Katy Nicholson

Sous-sus

Sous-sus [soo-SEW], or under over, refers to the movement of the feet from fifth position à terre to a position sur les pointes with feet and legs as close together as possible. (Think, ballerina inside the music box.)  Sous-sus can be performed en place (not traveling) or moving forward, side, or backward and it is generally done in a quick snatching motion upward.

Bonus Extra Geeky Stuff
Officially, sous-sus is only a Cecchetti step. The French folks and the Russian folks refer to it as the reverse - sus-sous (over under). All of the versions of the step are performed in pretty much the same manner, BUT if the feet cross so that the front foot completely covers the back, it’s called temps cou-de-pied (time neck of the foot). VERY few people use this term, so it’s a great way to impress your other geeky ballet buddies.


Why We Do It

Sous-sus (or sus-sous) is . . .well . . .pretty. It is the ballet movement in which the body is at its most lengthened (vertical) position . . . and who doesn’t want to look super tall and thin, right? In short, it is the ballet equivalent of a sensible four-inch heeled pair of Louis Vuittons without the price tag. Sous-sus is also a great “ta da” at the end of a variation – like a gymnast at the end of a routine.

How to do it even better

• Most dancers tend to think mostly of the feet and ankles when sous-sus-ing which causes the knees to slightly soften. The softer the knee, though, the less stable the balance. The old “twenty dollar bill between the thighs” trick works wonders for remedying this! 
• When performing most relevés, less advanced dancers arch their lower backs ever so slightly. This is most prominent in sous-sus. Check yourself out from the side (or, even better, have a friend watch you). Slight arch? If so, think of actively lengthening the lower back AS you relevé. This not only corrects your alignment as you perform the step, but it also more than likely has engaged your lower abdominal muscles and will improve your overall balance. Two-fer!
• Please, pretty please don’t catch air on your way up to sous-sus. Rock a sensible sliding or snatching movement rather than a slight jump. Why? First of all, it’s not correct. Second of all, it’s really bad for your knees. And lastly? The force of the small jump causes a very unseemly rippling jiggling effect in the rest of your body. Not cute at all. 

Photo Credit: John Manning
Dancer: Erica Cohen

Ronde de Jambe - The Big D

THE TECHNICAL STUFF

Rond de jambe (/ˌrän də ˈZHämb/), officially "round" or "circle of the leg", connects the "dots" of tendu front, side, and back (or back, side, and front). Keeping the knee straight, the leg slides to tendu front, then to side, then to back, and then returns to first (or fifth) position. This rond de jambe (front to back) is called "en dehors" (rhymes with "open the door"). Rond de jambe back to front is called "en dedans" (rhymes with "John"). There are three kinds of rond de jambe:

• À terre (on the ground or - officially "down") - the tip of the working leg touches the ground as the leg circles in a semi-circular movement
• En l'air (in the air) - the leg is lifted to the side to either dégagé height or 90 degrees (hip height) and a small, oblong circle is made with the lower leg (not moving the leg from the knee to the hip). 
• Grand rond de jambe en l'air ("great round leg in the air") - the working leg is extended as far as possible from the ground and moved in a semi-circular pattern, either front to back or back to front

WHY WE DO IT

Rond de jambe begins the transition at the barre from linear movement to more fluid, larger movement. Rond de jambe is also an effective way to gain momentum before a large jump or turn. Physiologically, this movement acts to loosen the hip socket and to transition at the barre from movements that require less flexibility to movements that require more.


HOW TO DO IT BETTER

• When executing rond de jambe, imagine your toe drawing the shape of a capital "D" on the floor below you with the tip of your toes. The point of the imaginary letter should be either directly in front of the heel of your other foot (American - Balanchine) or directly in front of where your toe was in first position (Russian - Vaganova). EITHER WAY, the inclination is to round out the corners of your "D" and make the circle of the leg smaller. DON'T do that! Keep your D intact!

• PREVENT INJURY!! Make sure to get your heel down on the ground when passing through first position (consecutive ronds de jambe - see that cool pluralization? - always pass through first position). Your achilles tendons will thank you when you're over 30. 

• Rond de jambe should feel expansive, grand, and regal. Whatever that means to you, it's probably right. The end. 

Photo: John Manning

Dancers (L-R): Sydney McPherson, Giana Forgione, Hannah Russell