How to Do a Passe Position | Ballet Dance

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My name is Maegan Woodin, and I'm a professional dancer, choreographer, teacher and student. I have danced for MTV, Diana Ross, Marc Jacobs and have appeared in many music videos. You can find more information about me and my career, as well as photos and videos, at www.dgtnyc.com. I'm going to be talking to you about ballet. A passe is when you bring one foot up to the side of your knee Standing in either first or fifth position, or it can come in the middle of a turn when your coming from fourth position. So, I'm going to demonstrate passe in first position. You want to lift your toe up and put it directly inside of your knee. You don't want to put you foot flat on your knee as you see in a tree position in yoga. You want to make sure your toe is just resting lightly and you should be able to move it and there should be no weight on your knee. And also the foot position in the passe is very important. You want to make sure that you're not sickeling or winging your foot. So a good way to figure out the correct foot position would be to wrap your toe around your ankle. The wrapping acton brings your toes behind and your heel forward. From that position you can slowly rise your foot up all the way to passe. Another important thing about Passe is not lifting the hips. It's very common that people do passe and lift the hip and then your foot sickels. So, to practice this relaxation in your hips you can stand in parallel and you want to just practice marching and this is fully relaxed hips just like you were marching when you were a little kid. So you can use that same action in Passe. Your leg is going to come all the way up an in your hip there is going to be no shift in your hips. So Demonstrating a passe, and down. No shift in my hips, no wiggling around nothing's happening, Everything is engaged and just a very simple passe and then down.

[@mikaelamika3100]

Passé is a classical ballet term meaning “passed.” It refers to the movement when a dancer goes through a retiré position, which is when one leg is bent so it looks like a triangle with the foot placed near the other leg’s knee. In ballet class, passé is often used instead of retiré to describe the position of a leg. For example, a teacher may say “Higher passés in your pirouettes ladies!” Both terms are accepted and understood to basically mean the same thing.

[@juliemcclanahan8266]

Thank You!!! I wanted so badly to say the same thing!

[@trnikki147]

Can we just talk about that "double pirouette" at 0:14 ?

[@banitka72]

Just looking at it is painful ;-) I have always admired ballet dancers

[@raginisharma9302]

Thanks for the great demo of the technique - hopefully can get it right now

[@emlofland]

Wanted to get into this video...but it was too passe.

[@thatlovelydancerIlao]

Well done and explained ❤❤

[@tripcode1722]

I know it may be awhile before anyone sees this, but I have a hard time getting my hip/leg to press all the way out to the side, it often ends up at an angle from my body and closer to the marching in place position with the legs coming forward. Does anyone have any good tips for how to work on getting my leg to go all the way out to the side?

[@maryhinkle1756]

Tripcode I have the same problem! That’s why I looked for the video, wish there was an answer. 💐

[@MotivitywithJoi]

There could be a couple factors for you hip not rotating completely out to allow your knee to be fully to the side. It could be the way the bones of your legs and hips are. It all depends on the angle of your acetabulum and the neck-shaft angle of the femur. There's nothing you can do, but honor your natural range of motion. You may also create a program to strengthen, stretch, and increase mobility in lateral rotation of the hip.

[@abrafilifewithmehere1853]

This video was very helpful

[@osnatshaibe1534]

Very helpful. Thank you 🙏

[@nefertitijones7869]

I wish I got this earlier cause my hip flexor kind of hurts. But it's more of a sore feeling. Cause I'm getting back in dance form a injury

[@deimantuuke9978]

Victoria, from ,,How I met your mother" ???? :) :) :)

[@CelestialStarfall]

That's not a passe... Passe means to pass, so you pass your foot from the front of your knee to the back and place it in 5th position. Rotirre is the correct word, (I have no idea how to spell it but my teachers pronounce it rih-teer-ae).

[@suebelzer6536]

I think it's spelled "retire", just like the English word for stopping work or withdrawing from something.

[@Favz01]

Very well explained, thanks!

[@Twinkeylover411]

Isn't that a rétiré?

[@korealife6739]

Почему на купальник надеты колготки?(((

[@christinawaring5461]

thats not passe its retire...

[@diamrem81]

That's a retire, not a passé.

[@plopjew4522]

Like..ballett .

[@nanijaberzina9474]

That is not a passe it's a retire

[@thetongueofangels1882]

What's the difference?

[@c.alexander2380]

@@thetongueofangels1882 her feet were third not first. That makes the difference

[@brianaisawesome6580]

Casey Anthony