épaulement

American  

[ey-pohl-mahn] / eɪ poʊlˈmɑ̃ /

noun

Ballet.

plural

épaulements

1. a position in which the shoulders are at right angles to the direction of the supporting leg, with one shoulder thrust forward and one back.

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Etymology

Origin of épaulement

1680–90; < French, equivalent to épaule ( epaulet ) + -ment -ment

Example Sentences

“Her finesse comes in the gracious way she shows every angle of her body, the attention to épaulement — the carriage of the arms and shoulders — all the while talking up space,” Gia Kourlas writes.

From New York Times

Throughout her 33-year career with City Ballet, Nichols made it seem as if steps were flowing — sometimes gently, sometimes with a wild, gushing power — through her limbs, her torso, her elegant upper body, as epitomized in the dynamic épaulement of her shoulders and head.

From New York Times

Quinn Starner exudes a special luxuriousness, especially the way her crystalline épaulement shows off the angles of her head and shoulders; Samuel Melnikov’s juicy jump has a way of lingering in the air, ever expanding through his long arms and fluent hands.

From New York Times

Forsythe celebrates ballet vocabulary in bounding jumps, small and large — and always in his use of épaulement, or the angles and carriage of the arms.

From New York Times

“Pull yourself up and sustain the epaulement.”

From New York Times