Battement Dégagé

A battement dégagé is a small, brushing action of the working leg that closely resembles a battement tendu, but performed faster and with the foot lifting off the floor. The name is used often in the Cecchetti method, where it trains the quick, precise footwork that supports jumps and fast traveling steps.

How It Differs From Tendu

In a battement tendu, the foot brushes out along the floor and stays in contact with it, stretching to a full point without lifting. The dégagé uses the same brushing motion but adds speed and lift: the working foot leaves the floor by about four inches. This small height is important. The dégagé is not a high kick; it is a sharp, low disengagement that snaps out and returns crisply to position.

Why Dancers Train It

Because the movement is about twice as fast as a tendu, it sharpens the speed and articulation of the feet and ankles. That quickness carries directly into allegro, where jumps and beats depend on feet that can dart out and back without hesitation. The brush itself also builds strength through the arch and the pointed foot.

Battement dégagé is almost always practiced at the barre first, where dancers can focus on clean brushing and accurate placement. It is usually taken to the front, side, and back, and often repeated in fast sets so the legs learn to move with control at speed. The term overlaps with battement jeté in some methods, since both describe a brushing leg that leaves the floor.