strathspey Archive: The jete or jetee (was Re: another Muirland WIllie question)

Ron wrote:
"As John Mitchell is so fond of pointing out a jetee is a leap. What is
meant is an
'extension'."

This sent me brushing the dust off my French dictionary. To be precise, a
jetee is a jetty. A jete is a leap.

And in travelling pas-de-basque, such as hello-goodbye setting or the
poussette, there certainly is a leap. There's a leap of sorts in simple pdb
setting. The problem is that the leap is not always in the same direction as the
extension, so the leap might still not qualify as a jete in the French dancing
sense of the word.

Any French ballet dancers out there who could clarify this point?

Chris, New York.

----- Original Message -----
From: <Chris1Ronald@aol.com>

>
> Ron wrote:
> "As John Mitchell is so fond of pointing out a jetee is a leap. What is
> meant is an
> 'extension'."
>
> And in travelling pas-de-basque, such as hello-goodbye setting or the
> poussette, there certainly is a leap. There's a leap of sorts in simple
> pdb
> setting. The problem is that the leap is not always in the same direction
> as the
> extension, so the leap might still not qualify as a jete in the French
> dancing
> sense of the word.
>

In SCD, the first beat of pdb is a leap. Thereafter, the leap comes after
the jete.

Harry

I was taught in my early days of folk dancing that a leap is
distinguished from a jump or hop in that a leap departs from one foot
and lands on the other whereas jumps and hops depart and land on the
same foot (one or both). According to that, the first beat of the pdb
is indeed a leap--but a leap without travel.

Unfortunately, my Webster's Unabridged did not make that distinction...

-Don

At 9:43 PM -0400 9/28/04, Harry Ways wrote:
>----- Original Message ----- From: <Chris1Ronald@aol.com>
>
>>
>>Ron wrote:
>>"As John Mitchell is so fond of pointing out a jetee is a leap. What is
>>meant is an
>>'extension'."
>>
>>And in travelling pas-de-basque, such as hello-goodbye setting or the
>>poussette, there certainly is a leap. There's a leap of sorts in simple pdb
>>setting. The problem is that the leap is not always in the same
>>direction as the
>>extension, so the leap might still not qualify as a jete in the
>>French dancing
>>sense of the word.
>>
>
>In SCD, the first beat of pdb is a leap. Thereafter, the leap comes
>after the jete.
>
>Harry

--
-------------------------
Don MacQueen
dmacq@ucscalumni.com
California, USA
-------------------------

Doesn't the 'Jete' get counted as beat number 4? and not 1?

Pia
----- Original Message -----
From: "Don MacQueen" <dmacq@ucscalumni.com>
To: "Harry Ways" <hways@ix.netcom.com>; <strathspey@strathspey.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2004 3:51 AM
Subject: Re: The jete or jetee (was Re: another Muirland WIllie question)

> I was taught in my early days of folk dancing that a leap is
> distinguished from a jump or hop in that a leap departs from one foot
> and lands on the other whereas jumps and hops depart and land on the
> same foot (one or both). According to that, the first beat of the pdb
> is indeed a leap--but a leap without travel.
>
> Unfortunately, my Webster's Unabridged did not make that distinction...
>
> -Don
>
> At 9:43 PM -0400 9/28/04, Harry Ways wrote:
> >----- Original Message ----- From: <Chris1Ronald@aol.com>
> >
> >>
> >>Ron wrote:
> >>"As John Mitchell is so fond of pointing out a jetee is a leap. What
is
> >>meant is an
> >>'extension'."
> >>
> >>And in travelling pas-de-basque, such as hello-goodbye setting or the
> >>poussette, there certainly is a leap. There's a leap of sorts in simple
pdb
> >>setting. The problem is that the leap is not always in the same
> >>direction as the
> >>extension, so the leap might still not qualify as a jete in the
> >>French dancing
> >>sense of the word.
> >>
> >
> >In SCD, the first beat of pdb is a leap. Thereafter, the leap comes
> >after the jete.
> >
> >Harry
>
>
> --
> -------------------------
> Don MacQueen
> dmacq@ucscalumni.com
> California, USA
> -------------------------

Having studied ballet in my youth, and later acquiring our certificate, this question bothered me way back in the 60´s.

Independent of how the ballet field uses the term, the language includes both "extension" and "leap" (a leap with out being prefaced by an extension is only a hop). So you can understand the confusion. I am not sure of the process as to how this word got into SCD, since we are obviously using the word in different ways.

The relevant French words are as follows.
Jeter means to throw ith force or fling. So the question is are you leaping (as in throwing your body), or extending (as in throwing your foot out).
This word can also be used figurative as in ...
throwing a bridge across a river
a blanket across a bed
trash away
cause turmoil
out rude comments.
As jetée, or jetty, it can be a pier trhow out into the water, or a road connecting airport landing strips with the ramps.

In sports it can simply mean "to jerk", and in needlework, wrap around a needle (once) as in "purl one".

The English word "jet" also comes from the same source meaning "toss". (technicaly, only the rear part of a jet engine, is the jet since that is the part that tosses out the air.

I have noticed that in Scotland many words of French origin, have had a shift in accentuation from the ultimate to penultimate syllable. For example, many teachers I have had, both in Highland, and country dancing say |JEH-tee| (j as in just as opposed to the second g in the American pronunciation of garage).

Depends on your concept as movement or music. In matching our step to the music the jetée is at the end of the previous bar. So if we think of a three beat pdb, we are counting the three beats as 1-&-2, with the final & simply what we do with our foot after we have finished the pdb, in place it is an extension (tossing the foot out), however in the traveling versions it is the prelude or first part of the leap which is accomplished on 1 of the next bar, whether pdb or scos.

Another source of confusion is that the RSCDS style suggests that we dance in place and not side to side, as is done in French and Highland. This being the case, there really is no leap in the setting in place version.

My understanding is that "jete," with acute accent, is the past participle
of the verb "jeter," to throw (as in "jet" of water). So it refers to the
"thrown" or "flung" leg as it is suddenly extended.

Rosemary Coupe
Vancouver

----- Original Message -----
From: <Chris1Ronald@aol.com>
To: <strathspey@strathspey.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2004 6:27 PM
Subject: The jete or jetee (was Re: another Muirland WIllie question)

>
> Ron wrote:
> "As John Mitchell is so fond of pointing out a jetee is a leap. What is
> meant is an
> 'extension'."
>
>
> This sent me brushing the dust off my French dictionary. To be precise, a
> jetee is a jetty. A jete is a leap.
>
> And in travelling pas-de-basque, such as hello-goodbye setting or the
> poussette, there certainly is a leap. There's a leap of sorts in simple
pdb
> setting. The problem is that the leap is not always in the same direction
as the
> extension, so the leap might still not qualify as a jete in the French
dancing
> sense of the word.
>
>
> Any French ballet dancers out there who could clarify this point?
>
> Chris, New York.
>

> My understanding is that "jete," with acute accent, is the past participle
> of the verb "jeter," to throw (as in "jet" of water). So it refers to the
> "thrown" or "flung" leg as it is suddenly extended.
>
> Rosemary Coupe
> Vancouver

Indeed. In WYJTD, page13 (purple version - someone nicked my green one) Misss M writes on the PdeB
'....emphasise the first beat and clear change of weight on the second and third. Now add the jete(with acute) OR QUICK
EXTENSION of the knee and ankle which the left foot must execute as the weight
goes back on to the right foot. etc.

Then comes the leap???

> My understanding is that "jete," with acute accent, is the past participle
> of the verb "jeter," to throw (as in "jet" of water). So it refers to the
> "thrown" or "flung" leg as it is suddenly extended.
>
> Rosemary Coupe
> Vancouver

Indeed. In WYJTD, page13 (purple version - someone nicked my green one) Misss M writes on the PdeB
'....emphasise the first beat and clear change of weight on the second and third. Now add the jete(with acute) OR QUICK
EXTENSION of the knee and ankle which the left foot must execute as the weight
goes back on to the right foot. etc.

Then comes the leap???

Interesting use of "quick extension". To me, the quick extension has more in common with the so called "2 beat pdb", I think it is more elegant if the extension is on the slow side.

I say "so called" because all pdbs are three beats, the two beat is either a syncopated 3, or not a real 3 changes of weight.

Ron wrote:

>'....emphasise the first beat and clear change of weight on the second and
>third.

Weight on the second beat?
Are our bodies not supposed to have a down-up-down movement during those
three beats (while our feet go down-down-down)?
I don't feel capable of putting weight on my foot while my body is shooting
up in the air.

Martin,
in Grenoble, France.

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/scots.in.france/scd.htm

There's a leap of sorts in simple pdb
> setting. The problem is that the leap is not always in the same direction as the
> extension, so the leap might still not qualify as a jete in the French dancing
> sense of the word.
>
---------------------
In SCD, the first beat of pdb is a leap. Thereafter, the leap
comes after
the jete.

Harry

Does the leap not occur on the beat after the jete/extension?

Happy Dancing,
Ron :)

Ron Mackey
Mottingham, London
London & Croydon Branches

> ---------------------
> In SCD, the first beat of pdb is a leap. Thereafter, the leap
> comes after
> the jete.
>
> Harry
>
>
>
> Does the leap not occur on the beat after the jete/extension?
>
> Happy Dancing,
> Ron :)
>
> Ron Mackey

Certainly. I thought that is what I was saying.

Harry