My favorite step is either pas de chat or grand pas de chat developé (aka Italian pas de chat). In ballet 2, where pas de chat often makes an appearance in the class’s dance, it is thought of as a palindrome: plié, passé, passé, plié. With the two passés, you jump up. I feel like I’m flying when I do a pas de chat. Everything feels right because of the symmetry of the body’s movement.

An Italian pas de chat is just like a regular pas de chat, except the first leg up does a developé as the second leg is coming to a passé position. Sometimes, that first leg does a battement up instead of a developé, often changing the height and angle of the jump. I like doing the developé ones better because I like feeling so powerful.  Also I feel as though I am soaring through the air, which is always quite a nice feeling.

-Peyton

My name is Peyton and I will be posting for the next two weeks. I am a full company member and I have been dancing for five years, all with Conservatory of Dance. I enjoy ballet and modern classes, and I demonstrate for beginning jazz classes. I also volunteer at the Center for the Homeless with Miss Lydia. My favorite dance memory is performing the Nutcracker every year because I get to share the memories with my friends who are more like a family. The most memorable and unchanging part of Nutcracker is our nose-less Nutcracker doll named Timothy.