saut de basque (French and Russian Schools)
[soh duh bask]
Basque jump. A traveling jump in which the dancer jumps and turns in the air with one leg placed in a retire position. A dancer first grande battements one leg (leaving it straight in the jump), as they push off the floor with the other leg and bring the foot near the knee of the other leg the battement leg.
sauté, sautée
[soh-TAY] Example
Jumped, jumping. When this term is added to the name of a step, the movement is performed while jumping. As, for example, échappé sauté. Note: In all jumping movements the tips of the toes should be the first to reach the ground after the jump, then the sole of the foot followed by the heel. In rising from the ground the foot moves in the reverse order.
saut de chat
[soh duh shah] American example
Cat’s jump. A term of the French School. This is similar to the Italian pas de chat. A dancer performing a saut de chat will begin with raising their working foot in raccourci (or retiré) derriere. During the height if the jump, both knees and feet are drawn up which then leads to a landing on the foot that was raised first with the other foot in raccourci devant. Finally, the last raised foot is then closed in demi-plie in fifth position.
Female dancers perform saut de chat jumps more often than male dancers. A well-known example of this jump is during the second act of Swan Lake when the four little swans, or cygnets, perform multiples in a row.
American schools this ballet term us used for a grand jete where the front leg developpes instead of brushing straight. At the height of the jump, the dancer is in a split position.
á la seconde
[ah la suh-GAWND] Example
To the second. A term to imply that the foot is to be placed in the second position, or that a movement is to be made to the second position en l’air. As, for example, in grand battement à la second.
sissonne
[see-SAWN]
Sissonne is named for the originator of the step. It is a jump from both feet onto one foot with the exception of sissonne fermée, sissonne tombée and sissonne fondue, which finish on two feet. Sissonne may be performed petite or grande. The petites sissonnes are sissonne simple, sissonne fermée, sissonne ouverte at 45 degrees and sissonne tombée at 45 degrees. The grandes sissonnes are sissonne ouverte at 90 degrees, sissonne renversée and sissonne soubresaut.
sissonne fermée
[see-SAWN fehr-MAY]
Closed sissonne. A step of low elevation performed to a quick tempo. This sissonne finishes on two feet with the working foot gliding along the floor into the demi-plié in the fitth position. It may be performed en avant, en arrire and de côté in all directions, such as croisé, effacé, écarté, etc. The French School terms this step “faux entrechat cinq ramassé”.
sissonne ouverte, grand
[grahnd see-SAWN oo-VEHRT]
Big open sissonne. This sissonne is usually performed with high elevation and is done from a demi-plié on both feet and finished on one foot with the other leg raised in the desired pose, such as attitude, arabesque, à la seconde, etc. It is performed en avant, en arrière, de côté, en tournant and is done with a développé or a grand battement at 90 degrees.
sus-sous
[sew-SOO] Example
Over-under. Also spelled as Sous-Sus but both versions refer to the position of relevé in fifth position performed in place, or traveled forward, backward or sideways. a dancer springs onto releve demi-pointe or pointe, quickly placing the back foot more closely behind the front in fifth position with fully stretched legs. The look a dancer having finished a sus-sous is a releve in a fifth position with legs tightly together. Many dancers are taught to imagine hiding their back foot’s toes, so that you only see “one set of toes and two heels” when looking from the front.