In ballet, a quick movement where a dancer's feet slide apart from a closed position to an open position and return, often used with a jump.
From French 'échappé,' past participle of 'échapper' meaning 'to escape.' The movement suggests the feet 'escaping' from their closed position into an open one.
Ballet borrowed this French word because the movement literally looks like the feet are 'escaping' from each other—it's a perfect example of how dance terminology comes straight from the visual poetry of the movement itself.
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