Ballerinas: Gallops

The gallop (galop) in ballet is a traveling step where the legs and feet are brought together in the air. It was named after the fastest running gait of a horse. The “galop” was often used in classic ballet. There is even a popular dance in the first act of the “Nutcracker” that is the “Children’s Galop”.

Today in ballet, a “gallop” is a quick jump with a little spring on it. The legs and feet should be stretched and straight together in the air. A ballerina may have a sequence of gallops before combining them with other steps.

In one of the early drafts of “The Triplet Ballerinas”, I tried to combine the gallops of one of the triplet’s horses (yes, there were horses in the early drafts!) with the gallops of ballet. It was fun to write, but neither the gallops of the horse or the gallops of ballet made it to the final draft. Beverly