New Balletfocus Video:
Double Revoltade

Check out the latest addition to my YouTube Ballet Video Dictionary: double revoltade. I love the bravura men’s step, which is spectacular when done well.  The step resembles a grand assemblé en tournant (also called a double assemblé). For a double assemblé, the dancer brushes one leg into the air, assembles both feet, and does 1-1/2 or two turns in the air with two spots of the head, landing on both feet in fifth position. However while the assemblé lands on two feet, the revoltade lands on one foot. Another difference is that the dancer in the revoltade turns at an angle to a greater extent than the assemblé.

The video presents great examples of double revoltades by Leonid Sarafanov, Mikhail Baryshnikov from 1984, and Ivan Vasiliev. Notice their great elevation and angle of their turns, almost 45 degrees.