Sautillé

Sautillé, from the French sautiller meaning to skip or hop, is a term used in both dance and string instrument technique to describe a light, springing motion. In ballet, sautillé refers to a series of quick, small jumps or bounces performed on the balls of the feet, often in place or traveling short distances. The movement is characterized by a continuous, buoyant spring rather than a large leap, and is commonly employed in petit allegro passages or as a preparatory or transitional step. Dancers aim for controlled, even springs with minimal elevation and a clean landing, typically finishing each beat with a slight plié to absorb impact.

In bowed string playing, sautillé is a bowing technique in which the bow lightly bounces on the strings to produce a rapid, detached repetition of notes. Unlike heavier spiccato, sautillé emphasizes a soft, controlled bounce that remains in contact with the string, with the bowing executed by alternating motions of the wrist and forearm. It can be used to articulate passages at moderate to fast tempos and is heard in Baroque, Classical, and Romantic repertoire depending on the composer’s or editor’s instruction. Notation often uses the term sautillé, and in some editions it is described as sautillé spiccato or marked by dots or staccato-like articulations.

Etymology traces both usages to the same idea of skipping or bouncing. While related to the broader concepts of jumping and bouncing, sautillé in dance and in bowing represents distinct technical applications within their respective disciplines.