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