Jumps

Jumps are some of the most intense and powerful steps that a dancer can perform. When the word Sauté, french for "jump," is part of a step's name it signals that there is a jumping action involved. Jumps require that the dancer produces a force larger than the force of gravity (mass x acceleration). They do this by articulating through their feet and extending their legs, all while holding their upper body aligned correctly. Dancers achieve this by bending their knees (plié); the deeper the plié is, the more force a dancer has to launch off the ground.

Some jumps, mainly small, only require a force in the vertical direction. These jumps don't travel, meaning they start and end in the same place. In order to land and take off correctly the dancer's center of mass must be directly over their feet. They must also keep their driving force completely vertical, so their upper body has to be very straight.

The first jumps shown are an example of a jump that only requires a vertical force. As he continues to jump, he increases his force pushing against the floor. The final jump he practices is called a tour en l'air. He jumps vertically up in the air with a torque and rotates twice in the air.

A favorite of many dancers is the Grande Jeté. For this jump the dancer basically has to launch and throw their body to travel forward. While in the air the dancer must reach a full split at the height of their jump. The dancer has a trajectory and follows the properties of projectile motion. To maximize the height and distance traveled the dancer has to push off the ground at a specific angle. Just like projectile motion, if the dancer pushes off the ground with a force with horizontal and vertical components of the same magnitude.