saut de basque

[ French soh duh bask ]

noun

, Ballet.

, plural sauts de basque [soh d, uh, , bask],

1. a jump in which the dancer turns in the air while keeping the foot of one leg drawn up to the knee of the other.

Word History and Origins

Origin of saut de basque¹

1945–50; < French: literally, Basque jump

Example Sentences

An elderly admirer of Camargo, seated on my left, told me that in her youth she could perform the 'saut de basque' and even the 'gargouillade', and that nobody had ever seen her thighs, although she always danced without drawers.

From Project Gutenberg

Spinning out a series of steps, he recited, "Pass�, chass�, saut de basque, heel, toe."

From Time Magazine Archive