Entrechat quatre explained: a beat in the air, landing on two feet. Prerequisites, build-up via the changement, common mistakes and landing load.
The honest answer to “What is an entrechat quatre?”: it is a beat in a jump in which your legs cross in the air and each leg makes two movements – you land on both feet [1]. “Quatre” means four: the number counts movements, not crossings, because each crossing counts as two movements, one per leg [1].
Why is it in the intermediate block? Because it lands hard. In a pilot study with 11 adolescent dancers, a sensor on the pelvis measured impact acceleration across nine common ballet steps: the entrechat quatre reached about 4.3 g and was the hardest step, ahead of the changement at 4.1 g [2]. The glissade came in at 2.1 g – so the entrechat quatre lands a good two times harder [2]. Think of a stair step you do not see: your body takes the full impact if technique and strength are not ready.
How hard is it really? The crossing itself is quickly explained; the speed is the problem. Stretch the legs, cross the legs, open the legs and land in plié – all in one jump. No study has measured how long that takes; expect months of regular classes (experience value, no source).
Important up front: studies on the entrechat quatre as a single step are rare. The numbers below come from pilot and cross-sectional studies of ballet jumps in general and do not apply to every dancer.
Fifth position, plié, jump, change feet in the air, land with the other foot in front [1]. Milestone: ten changements without a sound, heels down, knees over feet.
Consciously pull the legs long in the changement, knees and instep stretched. This is the base the beat is built on later. A study with 16 dancers (eight skilled, eight less skilled) performing consecutive jumps in first position (temps levé sauté) showed that the skilled ones varied less in hip-knee coordination on landing [3] – calm landings can be trained and grow with experience. Milestone: you land calmly after the stretch jump, without bouncing.
Now comes the entrechat quatre: you jump, both legs beat evenly and you land in fifth position [1]. In all entrechats both legs work equally [1]. Your teacher leads you here, because details such as the height of the beat and leg position depend on the school [1]. This guide gives you no sequence to try alone. Milestone: five clean repetitions at the barre with your teacher.
The same study had the dancers jump at 80, 100 and 120 beats per minute. Result: at the slowest tempo, joint coordination in take-off and landing was least steady, while in the flight phase variability rose with tempo [3]. So speed is no shortcut – it changes where errors arise. Increase in small steps.
Place your phone at chest height in front of you. Both legs must work equally and the landing must stay quiet. Milestone: five repetitions with an even landing on both feet.
According to the pilot study, the entrechat quatre is one of the hardest landing steps in ballet [2]. In a survey of 90 professional dancers, the lower back, knees, ankles and feet were most often affected, and classical jumps produced the highest ground reaction forces of the three dance styles tested [6]. In addition, a study with 17 experienced dancers showed that years of ballet practice do not make a turned-out landing softer than a parallel one – so you cannot rely on experience protecting you automatically [5]. Do only as many repetitions as the landing stays clean. For pain in the foot, knee, back or shin: stop and involve your teacher and a doctor. This guide explains and motivates but does not replace supervised training.
Treat the entrechat quatre as landing training with a show effect. A study on building jump exercises for dance suggests going from relevé via explosive relevé to sauté, two-legged first, then single-legged [4]. Whoever skimps there beats badly in the air later. That is the authors' recommendation, not a guarantee for your pace – but it turns patience into a plan.
In the changement you only change feet in the air and land with the other foot in front [1]. In the entrechat quatre the legs also cross in the air, each leg making two movements [1]. It is technically more demanding and landed somewhat harder in a pilot study (4.3 g versus 4.1 g) [2].
“Quatre” is French for four. Entrechats are counted by the number of movements, each crossing counting as two movements, one per leg [1]. Even numbers such as quatre, six or huit land on two feet, odd ones such as trois or cinq on one [1].
No study has measured that. Expect months of regular classes once your changement is secure (experience value). More important than time is the landing: quiet, calm and on both feet.
You can prepare the changement and the landing at home; you practise the beat itself with a teacher. A hard floor is unfavourable because ballet landings generate high forces [2][6].
Tour Jeté: The Turning Grand Jeté – Building Up With a Teacher