Ballet Dictionary: Épaulment
Photo by Mark Sumaylo • Text by Abigail Oliveiro
What: Épaulment
The classical ballet term Épaulment means “shouldering”. It describes the nuanced positioning of the arms, head and shoulders in relation to the lower body. Usually when a dancer is demonstrating Épaulment, there would be some upper body twists and head tilts involved. This is to enhance the position even further by stylizing the position, creating a higher performance quality.
In this demonstration, the dancer is showing a beautiful Épaulment by twisting the upper body slightly to give the continuous upward spiral illusion. If this was done “academically”, the dancer’s shoulders would not be as twisted and instead, be of the same orientation as the hips, her arms would be by the side of her and not in the diagonal that she’s in and hence keeping the “square alignment”. Using Épaulment would require the dancer to have coordination, a strong core and good alignment.
Tip: As dancers, we rely on the mirror to help better our technique and alignment. However with Épaulment, it is the feeling of the movement that enhances our dancing. Use the mirror as a tool to better your Épaulment line but try to also learn and remember how it feels so it becomes a part of your dancing that you can bring to the stage.
Dancer: Marinette Franco, Company Artist
Location: Ballet Manila Studio 2
