Ballet 101: Saut de Chat v. Grand Jete
Saut de chat and grand jete are two jumps that in the air look very similar but are actually quite different. I am on a mission to clear that confusion because I like people knowing things. When people see a jump when the dancer is in a split in the air, they tend to think grand jete:
While there’s a chance that specific jump could be a grand jete (in this picture it’s not), there is also a chance (and a greater probability) it’s what is called a saut de chat. The big difference is the take off for the jump.
In this jump the front leg stays straight from take off until landing into a plie. Your front foot brushes off against the floor and your back foot propels you up and forward. In a lot of instances, the back will have a slight arch at the crest of the jump. Here it is in slow motion:
In a saut de chat, the front leg bends when jumping up. It’s like a developee, your front leg bends up and flicks forward in the air and doesn’t push off the floor, 99% of the power comes from the back leg. This motion leads to the split in the air generally being closer to 180 degrees with the upper body staying straight.
The knee is bent and once in the air the calf flicks out straight. Here it is in slow motion:
So returning to the top picture, we know that’s actually a saut de chat because the jump is closer to 180 and his upper body is completely straight.
Now this is just a very basic explanation of the differences, but this will help you spot the differences very easily!
