French Ballet Sissonne Ferme

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French Ballet Sissonne Fermée
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Beginning Stance

• The dancer stands in fifth position, with arms
  in second position facing forward. Ballet fifth
  position places heel of the forward foot against
  the toes of the backward foot with both hips
  latterly rotated. In fifth position the left or
  right foot may be in front, for analytical
  purposes the dancers right foot will be forward.
  When a dancers arms are in ballet second the
  arms are flexed and abducted to shoulder level
  with a soft bend in elbows and wrists, like a
  wide hug. Classical ballet technique requires
  other unique positions of the bodys necks,
  shoulder blades, pelvis, and fingers. Dancers
  learn to slightly hyperextend their cervical
  vertebrae, retract their scapula and tilt their
  pelvises backwards which, combined give an
  illusion of standing up straight. In addition,
  dancers are taught to hide their thumbs by
  abducting and flexing the II through V digits,
  commonly by bringing the digit III into the
  largest angle of flexion.

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Phase One Demi Plié

• All dance leaps begin with a plié, or bending of
  the knees. The plié allows the dancer to act
  like a spring being compressed. For a sissonne
  fermée the dancer takes a demi plié, or slight
  bend of the knee. During the plié, the dancer
  increases the bend in the elbow on the same side
  as the forward foot. For analytical purposes the
  right elbow will increase in flexion. Right
  before take off, the dancer shifts bodyweight
  from both legs to the back leg, in this analysis
  the left leg.

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Phase Two The Leap

• During this phase the dancer springs off the
  floor moving sideways in the direction of the
  backward foot. While projecting upward the
  forward, right, leg adducts out in a swinging
  motion. The forward, left, leg remains in
  alignment with the hip. Both legs stay turned
  out while stretching into full extension of the
  knee, extreme plantar flexion of the foot and
  flexion of the toes. The arms remain the same
  from the first phase.

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Phase Three The Landing

• The backward, left, foot touches down first,
  giving in to a slight flexion of the knee,
  dorsiflexion of ankle, and extension of the toes.
  At this time the forward, right, knee softens to
  anticipate for the upcoming landing. One again
  the arms remain in the first phase positions.

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Phase Four Demi Plié

• The fourth and final phase returns the body to
  the position obtained in phase one. The forward,
  right, leg abducts back into fifth position.
  When both legs are down, the dancer distributes
  equal body weight onto both legs in preparation
  for the next movement. The arms have remained
  constant throughout the leap.

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Literature Review
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Anatomy and Kinesiology for Ballet Teachers
(1996), By Eivind Thomasen and Rachel-Anne Rist
The dancer uses kinaesthetic awareness (an
understanding of the position of the body) to aid
the balance process. This muscle sense can be
best demonstrated at the ankle when balancing on
one leg the muscles around the ankle may make
tiny adjustments and contractions to improve the
placement of the foot. This happens not through
voluntary control but through the kinaesthetic
sense. (94)
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Think height not distance!! Learning to Leap
Tips and Techniques. By Jenny Sweet
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Mechanical Analysis

• Projectile
• Gravity
• Inertia Newtons First Law
• Contact Forces Newtons Second Law
• Force of Friction
• Summation of Forces
• Center of Gravity

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Injuries
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Hyperpronation

• Leads to
• Plantar Faciitis

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Ideal Turn Out

• Forced Turn Out
• lateral maltracking of the patellofemoral joint

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hyperlordosis
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Works Cited

• Brown, Treg MD, and Lyle J. Micheli MD. Where
  artistry meets injury. 17 October 2005
• ce.12-24.bio-.html
• Hamilton, Nancy and Kathryn Luttgens.
  Kinesiology Scientific Basis of Human Motion.
• Tenth Edition. McGraw Hill Boston, 2002.
• Lordosis. The Web of the Back. 19 October 2005
• r/causas/alteraciones/hyperlordosis.asp
• --. Patellofemoral Maltracking. 19 October 2005
• al_matracking_full.php
• Ryman, Rhonda. Dictionary of Classical Ballet
  Terminology. 2nd Ed. London Royal
• Academy of Dancing, 1997.
• Sweet, Jenny. Learning to Leap Tips and
  Technique. 13 December 2005.
• Thomasen, Eivind, and Rachel-Anne Rist. Anatomy
  and Kinesiology for Ballet Teachers.
• London Dance Books Ltd. 1996.
• Warren, Gretchen Ward. Classical Ballet
  Technique. Tampa, Florida University of
• Florida Press, 1989.
• Young, Craig C. MD and Mark W. Neidfeldt MD.
  Plantar Fasciitis is a Common Cause
• of Heal Pain. HealthLink Medical College of
  Wisconsin. 20 October 2005
  edu/article/987116429.html

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Images Cited

• Girl in Arabesque.
• uth_ballet/natalie_arabesque-thumb.jpe 20 Oct
  2005
• Ideal Turn Out in First Position.
• es/pictures/MVC-072S-C.jpg 20 Oct 2005
• Leaping Jazz Dancer
• 13 Dec 2005
• New York City Ballet Duet.
• r-nicholsneal.jpeg
• 20 Oct 2005
• Orlando Ballet Company.
• images/orlandoBallet.jpg
• 20 Oct 2005
• Pronated Feet. d_feet.jpg 20 Oct 2005
• http//www.varsity.com/index.asp?article1159
• Warren, Gretchen Ward. Classical Ballet
  Technique. Tampa, Florida University of
• Florida Press, 1989.