Abstract

The step named coupé was born with the birth of dans classique in the 17th century and has continued to be in the current ballet vocabulary, while it has varied its form through ballet history. Literally coupé means 'cut', but what does 'cut' mean for the dance and why has the form changed though the name has remained identical? To answer these questions I examined the various descriptions concerning coupé found in main dance books since the 16th century and tried to identify their forms and functions in each century. Viewing over different coupé existing through ballet history, it can be noticed that the most pivotal role of coupé has been to articulate dance: to segment time and to give dance clear movement patterns. In the 17th century coupé was the action for 'taking in breath' in advancing steps, articulated as pettern of 'temps', while since the 20th century it has played a role as a conjunction connceting steps, articulated as visual patterns of body position. As the way of articulating dance movement has changed with time - and especially between the 18th and 19th century - the variety of coupé has emerged in ballet history