Enveloppé

Enveloppé is a step in which the working leg starts stretched out and then folds inward to the body before closing. The dancer begins with the working leg extended to the front, side, or back. From there the leg is drawn in to cou-de-pied or passé and then closed, often in fifth position. The word means “enveloped,” which fits the way the leg seems to wrap in toward the standing leg.

How It Works

Enveloppé is often thought of as the reverse of développé. Where a développé unfolds the leg outward from a bent position to a straight extension, an enveloppé folds a straight leg back in. As the working leg bends in through passé, the toe traces up the supporting leg, and the dancer keeps turnout and a still, lifted upper body throughout. The movement finishes cleanly with the foot closing rather than drifting.

Why Dancers Practice It

Because enveloppé asks the dancer to control the leg as it folds in, it builds the strength and coordination needed for smooth transitions between positions. It also trains the same control that helps in turns, since drawing the leg in quickly and neatly is part of many pirouettes. For students, practicing enveloppé and développé together is a good way to understand how the leg unfolds and folds with control.