Cecchetti Grade 5 Practice Exam

The main idea is to protect the knee by keeping it in safe alignment and absorbing the impact during leaps and grand battement. When you move in turnout from the hip, the leg travels in a stable, controlled line that helps the knee stay over the foot rather than wandering inward or outward. Keeping the knee aligned with the toes ensures the load travels straight up the leg and through the knee joint, reducing twisting or sideways stress on ligaments. Avoiding sickling—the inward or outward twisting of the foot at the ankle—prevents misalignment that can strain the knee and ankle. And landing with soft knees means bending the joints to absorb the shock instead of locking them or slamming into the floor, which protects the knee from impact injuries.

Together, these elements provide a complete approach to knee safety in leaps and grand battement: maintain turnout for stable tracking, align the knee with the toes, avoid sickling, and land with plié to cushion the landing. The other patterns either miss one of these protective aspects or encourage unsafe alignment.