Which term describes a 'large cat step'?

Which term describes a 'large cat step'?

• A. Coupé
• B. Posé en avant
• C. Demi-arabesque
• D. Grand pas de chat

Answer: (D)

In Cecchetti vocabulary, the name of a step often describes both the motion and the shape of the movement. A grand pas de chat is literally a large cat step, the name signaling a bigger, more expansive version of the cat-like jump. This step comes from the pas de chat family, where the working leg moves in a quick, passing motion akin to a cat’s steps, and the jump is taken with height and energy. The word grand indicates more amplitude and a bigger jump than the smaller form of the step. Coupé refers to a small cutting action of the foot, not a jump. Posé en avant is about placing the foot in front in a posed position, a transition rather than a jump. Demi-arabesque is a pose with the leg extended behind in arabesque, not a cat-like traveling step. So the term that fits a large cat-like step is grand pas de chat.

In Cecchetti vocabulary, the name of a step often describes both the motion and the shape of the movement. A grand pas de chat is literally a large cat step, the name signaling a bigger, more expansive version of the cat-like jump.

This step comes from the pas de chat family, where the working leg moves in a quick, passing motion akin to a cat’s steps, and the jump is taken with height and energy. The word grand indicates more amplitude and a bigger jump than the smaller form of the step.

Coupé refers to a small cutting action of the foot, not a jump. Posé en avant is about placing the foot in front in a posed position, a transition rather than a jump. Demi-arabesque is a pose with the leg extended behind in arabesque, not a cat-like traveling step. So the term that fits a large cat-like step is grand pas de chat.