French For Dancers: En Dehors, En Dedans, En Tournant
French For Dancers
Demystifying dance terminology and steps for dancers and dance-lovers!
Issue 38: En Dehors, En Dedans, En Tournant
Bonjour! Welcome to French For Dancers
Parlez-Vous Ballet?
(Do you speak Ballet?)
EN DEHORS
(on duh-or) – the “s” is silent.
EN DEDANS
(on duh-dahn) – try not to pronounce the final “n,” and the “s” is silent.
EN TOURNANT
(on tour-nahn) - try not to pronounce the final “n,” and the “t” is silent.
We have already encountered these three terms at the barre, notably in the rond de jambe series, and in flic flac. They indicate the direction that the leg or body is moving and are very useful directional terms to know and understand for both barre and center exercises.
Dehors means outside or outward. In dance, en dehors indicates that the movement is turning away from the standing or supporting leg.
In a rond de jambe (circle of the leg), this tells you that the working leg will start to the front and progress around to the back, whether it is on the ground or off the ground in grand rond de jambe, rond de jambe en l’air, or rond de jambe jeté.
As dancers move into turns, en dehors will tell you not only the direction, but which leg to lift. For example, if your supporting leg is the left leg, then you can figure out that you will need to lift your right leg and turn to the right to turn en dehors (whether the right leg starts in the back or in front), because your body is moving away from the supporting (left) leg towards your right.
Dedans means inside or inward. In dance, en dedans indicates that the movement is turning towards the standing or supporting leg.
In rond de jambe en dedans, the leg begins at the back and progresses around to the front.
In an en dedans turn, the turn moves towards the standing leg. If your supporting leg is the left leg, then your right leg will lift and the turn will move to the left.
Tournant means turning. En tournant means to perform a step in a turning direction. This could mean a full or partial turn. This is more commonly used in traveling steps or jumps in the center, but is also used at the barre, for precision, control, and versatility. During a barre combination, for example, a teacher might ask for a pas de bourrée or flic flac en tournant. The step will be performed with a turn – and the teacher will specify whether it is en dehors or en dedans.
Savoir-Faire
(Know-How)
Student Tip:
Sometimes, the terms en dehors and en dedans are used to describe a port de bras (carriage of the arms). This follows the pattern of moving away or toward the body.
For example, lifting the arms from 1st to 5th (sometimes called 3rd) overhead and then opening them to the side (2nd) can be considered en dehors, as the arms are moving away from the center line of the body. The reverse port de bras, where the arms rise up through 2nd position to 5th and then lower through 1st, can be called an en dedans port de bras as the arms move in towards the center line.
In more contemporary movement, the circling of an arm away or toward the body can also use these terms. It’s important to know your directions when learning choreography!
Teacher Tip:
Have students draw the pattern of en dehors and en dedans for rond de jambe, as illustrated above. They can practice the circular movements with their arms, then legs. This helps dancers internalize the feeling of moving away or toward the center line of the body.
You can then demonstrate how these directions apply to other movements, such as pirouettes, promenade, grand rond de jambe, or turning jumps, such as an assemblé en tournant.
Give them a quiz – demonstrate a soutenu, a piqué turn, a fouetté turn, and have them tell you whether they are en dehors or en dedans!
À La Carte
(From the Menu)
Recommendations, reflections, and/or useful links
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, MA is one of my most favorite places in the world! Presenting over 50 dance companies from around the world plus hundreds of free events each summer, the Pillow is a place where you can enjoy, discover, and explore dance in its many forms.
There are three stages, including an outdoor space, and many studios for classes. This summer, the brand new Doris Duke Theater is opening, replacing the former Doris Duke theater that was destroyed by fire in 2020.
If you’re in the area this summer, check it out!
Merci!
(Thank you!)
Thank you for reading this newsletter! If you have friends who might enjoy this, please share the link with them!
- Peggy