Entrechat. This is a light and brilliant jump, during which the dancer’s two feet cross rapidly, to come down in the third position. See Position.

The entrechat is executed while running, or with a cut. The body is thrown in the air, and the legs move at the same time to the third position.

It is never an entrechat unless there are four crossings; people do six, eight, ten, and we have seen dancers strong enough to do twelve.

This last is never, and should never be done in the theater; one does not even do ten on stage. Whatever strength one can suppose the dancer to have, the passes are then too fast to be perceived by the audience.

The excellent dancers normally limit themselves to six, and rarely do eight. Dupré limited himself to six.

The entrechat uses two measures; the first is for the cut; the second for launching the body, the beats, and the fall.

It is done facing forward, in turning, and to the side; and these are then given different names.

Deruel, opera dancer of the last century, did the capriole in rising, and the entrechat in descending.

Few dancers, even those who were famous at that time, did the entrechat , not even with four crossings, which is incorrectly called demi-entrechat .

I have seen the birth of the entrechats of the female dancers; mademoiselle Salley has never done one in the theater; mademoiselle Camargo did one in four brilliantly; mademoiselle Lany is the first female dancer in France who has done one in six on the stage.

I have heard the beginnings of great mutterings about the agility of modern dance. It is not thus , it was said, that women should dance. What will become of decency? Oh the times! Oh morals! Ah, la Prevôt ! la Prevôt . . . ! She kept her feet turned inward and had long skirts, which today we would find too short even.