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