Glossary of Ballet Terms
Most
of
the
terms
are
in
French,
the
universal
language
of
Ballet
| ADAGIO | Slow and sustained movements; a slow and sustained dance. |
| ARABESQUE (ara-besk) | A frequently used classical ballet position. The weight of the body is supported on one leg while the other is extended in back, the knee straight. The arabesque may be varied in many ways by changing the position of the arms, the angle of the body and the height of the leg in the air. |
| ALLEGRO (uh-leh-gro) | Fast running and jumping movements; a fast dance. |
| ATTITUDE | A classical position similar to the arabesque, except that the knee of the raised leg is bent. |
| BALLET SHOES | Soft slippers with thin, flexible soles. |
| BARRE (bar) | A long wooden pole attached to the walls of a dance studio. Dancers traditionally do warm-up exercises at the barre. |
| BATTEMENT (baht-mahn) | An extension of the leg. |
| BOURRÉE (boo-ray) | A rapid run, like a trill on the pointes of the toes, with the feet in fifth position. The feet move so quickly that the transfer of weight is almost imperceptible-the ballerina seems to skim across the stage. |
| CENTER | Exercises done freely in the center of the room. Opposite of exercises done in one place with the support of the barre. |
| CHAINÉ(sheh-nay) | A series of turns, executed in a line or in a circle, in which the feet remain close to the floor and the weight is transferred rapidly and.d almost imperceptibly from one foot to the other as the body revolves. |
| CHASSÉ (shah-say) | A slide in which the weight is transferred from two feet to one, or from one to another. |
| CHOREOGRAPHER | The person who creates, or composes, dance. |
| CORPS DE BALLET (cor-du-bow-ley) | The supporting dancers of the ballet company. |
| DANSEUR (dan-sir) | Any professional male dancers. |
| DÉVELOPPÉ (day-vel-oh-pay) | A smooth, gradual unfolding of the leg toward the front, side or back. |
| DYNAMICS | The force, energy and intensity with which motions are executed-ranging from soft, slow and fluid, to hard, fast and sharp. |
| EN POINTE (on point) | The ballerina rises as far from the floor as she possibly can by dancing on the tips of her toes. She carries her weight not merely high on the balls of her feet, but literally on the top of her toes. Originally dancers did this in soft slippers; today toe shoes are blocked across the front to give added support |
| ENTRECHAT (ahn-treh-shah) | A jump beginning and ending in fifth position. While the body is in the air, the feet are rapidly crossed. |
| FOUETTÉ (fweh-tay) | One of the most brilliant steps in ballet. The dancer turns on one foot (usually on pointe) while at each revolution the working leg whips sharply into second position en l'air (in the air.) |
| GESTURE | Exaggerated, stylized movement expressing an idea, action or emotion. |
| GLISSADE (glih-sahd) | A sliding step, beginning and ending in fifth position. |
| JETÉ (zheh-tay) | A jump from one foot to the other. |
| PAS DE DEUX (pah deh duh) | Literally "step for two"; a duet, often in several sections. |
| PASSÉ (pah-say) | A passing position or movement. |
| PHRASE | A series of steps or patterns which constitute part of an idea; a sentence in movement |
| PIROUETTE (pee-roo-wet) | A turn in place, on one foot. A good dancer can execute four or five continuous revolutions; a virtuoso, as many as a dozen. |
| PLIÉ (plee-ay) | A bend of the knees. |
| POINTE SHOES | Soft fabric (usually satin) slippers blocked across the toes with a hard pad to give support when the dancer rises on pointe. |
| REHEARSAL | The preparation for performance. |
| ROND DE JAMBE (rohn deh jahm) | A circular movement of the leg, accomplished either with the toe on the floor or with the working leg raised. |
| TECHNIQUE | The detailed craft of dancing, built through repetition of exercises. |
| TOUR EN L'AIR (tour ahn le-air) | A complete single, double or triple turn in the air, usually beginning from and ending in fifth position. It is almost always executed by male dancers. |