Differentiate between tendu, dégagé, and frappé in the Grade 4 Cecchetti barre and give a practical cue for each.

Differentiate between tendu, dégagé, and frappé in the Grade 4 Cecchetti barre and give a practical cue for each.

• A. Tendu is a full contact of the foot along the floor to the point; dégagé is a brush off the floor to a small height; frappé is a strike of the foot from the floor to the floor with a quick beat; cues: keep turnout, maintain knee and ankle alignment, and point the toe.
• B. Tendu is a lift off the floor; dégagé is a brush on the floor; frappé is a hop on the supporting leg.
• C. Tendu is a point step; dégagé is a jump with turnout; frappé is a roll.
• D. Tendu, dégagé, frappé are all different types of jumps.

Answer: (A)

The distinction here rests on how the working foot moves: along the floor, off the floor briefly, or with a quick strike. In Cecchetti Grade 4 barre, tendu is the foot sliding along the floor in full contact until it points on the line of the leg. There’s no lift off; you’re lengthening the leg while maintaining turnout and alignment. A practical cue for this is to think of the foot as gliding through the floor, keeping the knee over the toes and the ankle stacked under the knee, finishing with a pointed toe. Dégagé is a brush off the floor to a small height. The foot leaves the floor but only lightly and to a short distance, teaching quick, controlled energy while preserving turnout and the line of the leg. Cue it as a light brush with a quick, clean release, keeping the thigh in turnout and the knee and ankle aligned. Frappé is a quick strike of the foot from the floor to the floor with a short, crisp beat. The leg remains extended and the action is decisive and fast, reinforcing a clean line and a strong finish. A good cue is to snap the ankle and strike through the floor while maintaining turnout and proper alignment, finishing with a pointed toe. So the option matches these definitions: tendu is full-floor contact to the point, dégagé is a small-height brush, frappé is a quick floor-to-floor strike. The other descriptions describe lifts, jumps, or rolls that don’t fit the Cecchetti barre movements in question.

The distinction here rests on how the working foot moves: along the floor, off the floor briefly, or with a quick strike. In Cecchetti Grade 4 barre, tendu is the foot sliding along the floor in full contact until it points on the line of the leg. There’s no lift off; you’re lengthening the leg while maintaining turnout and alignment. A practical cue for this is to think of the foot as gliding through the floor, keeping the knee over the toes and the ankle stacked under the knee, finishing with a pointed toe.

Dégagé is a brush off the floor to a small height. The foot leaves the floor but only lightly and to a short distance, teaching quick, controlled energy while preserving turnout and the line of the leg. Cue it as a light brush with a quick, clean release, keeping the thigh in turnout and the knee and ankle aligned.

Frappé is a quick strike of the foot from the floor to the floor with a short, crisp beat. The leg remains extended and the action is decisive and fast, reinforcing a clean line and a strong finish. A good cue is to snap the ankle and strike through the floor while maintaining turnout and proper alignment, finishing with a pointed toe.

So the option matches these definitions: tendu is full-floor contact to the point, dégagé is a small-height brush, frappé is a quick floor-to-floor strike. The other descriptions describe lifts, jumps, or rolls that don’t fit the Cecchetti barre movements in question.