basic terms of ballet

8/8/2019 Basic Terms of Ballet

1/5

These are basic terms of ballet, listed in alphabeticalorder starting with A and ending with Z.

________________

A

Adagio: a slow movement or combination designed tohelp a student master the basic poses, turns of the bodyand head, and the firmness and stability of the body.

Allegro: a fast movement, which develops agility andmobility of the body through jumps and combinations ofjumps.

Aplomb: most important part of learning to dance, it isthe balance and stability of the body. Once a dancerknows how to find this and have the correct positioningof the body, they will be able to perform even the mostdifficult steps and combinations

Arabesque: one of the basic poses in contemporaryclassical ballet. There are four; 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4tharabesques:

- 1st back is arched and leg is lifted behind at no lessthan a 90-degree angle. Feet are in position efface. Theopposite arm as standing leg is out to the side and thearm on the same side as standing leg is forward. Backand head are lifted.

- 2nd body and legs are the same as in 1st, but arms areswitched so that the arm on the same side as thestanding leg is forward (forms a long straight line fromextended hand to foot).

- 3rd faces the audience, leg is in croise at 90-degreeangle and head is looking into hand. Arm forward issame as extended leg. Arm side is on same side asstanding leg.

- 4th same as 3rd, except arms are opposite and thehead is looking over the shoulder

Assembl: a jump, which, once mastered, provides afoundation for other allegro (jumping) steps. To execute:pli in fifth position, tendu to the side (2nd position),push off of floor, pointing toes, and end with both feettouching the floor at the same time in PLIE!

Attitude: a pose on one leg with the other lifted at a 90-degree angle (similar to arabesque) with knee bent andnot dropped. Arms are to corresponding leg. Bent kneeallows body to bend and turn.

_________________

B

Balance: a simple pas allegro often (in classical dancing)used in waltz tempo. TO EXECUTE: start in fifth, tendusthe back foot to the side and jete (light), landing in fifth

and crossing the opposite foot behind in cou-de-pied.

Ballon: the ability of a dancer to hold in the air a pose orposition.

Ballonne: same as balance, only, instead of a jete, do ajump.

Ballotte: it is a movement which requires strength in thelegs and body that is very difficult to execute in it'sactual correct form. Itresembles the swinging or rockingof a boat.

Battements: the extension of the leg and its return tothe position from which it has been extended. Battementtendus help to heal injuries and to warm up the legs. To

execute: begin in 5th position (right foot front) with thearms out to 2nd position. Tendu to the front and extend,lifting the left as high as you can (resembling akick,except without bending the knee and alwayskeeping the back straight). Keep the leg stretched andbring it back down to the tendu and to 5th position.Thisis all one movement. Always brush through tendu beforelifting the leg!

Batterie: (beats) steps in which one leg is beaten againstthe other. During execution of the step, both legs mustbe stretched and slightly opened.

Battu: any step embellished with a beat

Brise: two kinds: one ends in 5th position, another endson one leg (dessus: forward/dessous: back); often usedon stage and seldom done to the back.

__________________

C

Cabriole: one of the most difficult forms of the jumps, itis a movement in which the calves meet in the airbetween 45 and 90 degrees. TO EXECUTE: start in 5th

position (left foot front), plie on left foot and extend rightleg up, bringing the left one behind. End on the left footin plie.

Ceccheti: dancer who introduced pointe work on the toes

Changement: two kinds; petit and grand: a.) Petit:develops softness and elasticity of the jump. TOEXECUTE: plie in 5th with the right foot front, and pushoff of the floor, extending the toes in the air. As youcome down, switch the feet and end in 5th plie with theleft foot in front. b.) Grand: a larger version of the petit-only you plie deeper and jump higher.

Chasse: a masculine movement - it is a jumping, glidingmovement to the side

Ciseaux: combination of a cabriole and a changement.Similar to a cabriole - all you do is change your feet inthe air. TO EXECUTE: start tendu back, standing on theleft foot in front. Bring the right leg up to the side andplie, bring the left foot up on top of the right, plie onright, and swing left leg back to arabesque.

Cou-de-pied: the foot is placed near the ankle of theother leg, pointed and wrapped when in the front andside, and touching when in the back.

Coupe: done as preparation or "pick up" and lookssimilar to cou-de-pied.


2/5

Croise: a position in which the legs are crossed from anaudience's viewpoint.

__________________

D

Degage: similar to tendu, only, the foot is lifted about 3inches off the floor.

Demi-plie: done in five positions. Demi is the half-

movement of the full (grand) plie.

Dessous: means "under" or "back"

Developpe: a movement from adagio which is anextension of the leg. TO EXECUTE (a basic developpe):start in 5th (right foot front), and bring the right foot upto passe. Then extend forward 90 degrees. Execute tothe side, then to the back, and then to the side again fora basic exercise. (p. 17, 35, 61)

__________________

E

Ecarte: facing the corner

Echappe: movement of beginning in 5th jumping to 2nd,and then jumping back to 5th (always pointe toes andstretch the legs)

Efface: a position in which the legs are open and"uncrossed" (opposite of croise)

Elevation: the acquiring of flight, consisting of twoelements: elevation proper and ballon

Emboite: a turning jump. TO EXECUTE: start in 5thposition (right foot front), demi plie, jump up and turn180 degrees (right foot up in passe). Land on left foot(right foot still in passe) and repeat one more time toreturn to the start position.

En dedans: a rotating movement directed inward("closing the door" is a way to remember it)

En dehors: a rotating movement directed outward

("opening the door" is a way to remember it)

En face: (part of epaulement). It is the natural directionfor 1st and 2nd position (head and shoulders remain inthe natural position). In other words, just facing fronttoward where the audience would be. Epaulement: theuse of the head and shoulders which helps a dancermaster the artistry of classical ballet. After strnght in thebody is gained, exercises begin to use the basic bodypositions.

Extension: stretching body part to its extreme point(example; bent knee to straight leg)

__________________

F

Facial expression (in epaulement): facial expression inepaulement changes depending on the position. If the

right foot is tendus forward, the head looks up and out.If the tendus is to the side, the head is up and straightahead. If the tendus is to the back, the head is inclinedor up and straight ahead if arms are in arabesque. Thisbasic positioning of the head is used in almost all steps inballet.

Failli: a movement done on one count, has acharacteristic fleeting air about it. Since I have neverdone this step before, I will use Agrippina Vaganova'sexplanation from The Basic Principles of Classical Ballet :"stand in 5th position, right foot front. Demi-plie, jumpup vertically, feet close together. During the jump, turnbody efface back, and immediately, without a pause,move the extended toe of the left foot on the florrthrough 1st position forward in croise, and then demi-plie." This movement must be done with the correct armpositions.

Flic-Flac: a movement done in exercises and as a linkingmovement in adagio. Has a "lashing character". It issimply a touch of the toe to the side, then to the front,then into coupe. It is done in en dedans and en dehors,on half toe, and en turnant (turn).

Fondu: a preparation movement used for more complexsteps. The basic execution is: plie in 5th (right footfront), bring the right foot up to cou-de-pied and keepthe toes pointed. Fondu can be done in battements,jetes, and sissones.

__________________

G

Gargouillade: French term (also known as rond de jambein the Russian school). In en dedans, it is usually used in

class, but not done on stage very often. [I have neverever heard this term before so when I finally learn whatit actually is, I will be sure to write it here J]

Glissade: as you can see from the name, this is a glidingmovement associated with other steps, such as the leap,in ballet. When executed correctly, it appears that thedancer is gliding across the floor, without the bouncingof the body that would be seen in an inexperienceddancer or amateur. TO EXECUTE: This step alwaysbegins and ends with a plie. Start in 5th position (rightfoot front) and demi-plie. As you plie, tendu the rightfoot to the side in 2nd position. As soon as the bodyweight is transferred to the right leg, immediately bringthe left leg into 5th behind the right foot. The finish witha demi-plie. Remember that this is a very gracefulgliding movement. There should be no excessivemovement of the upper body. It is best to remain in pliethroughout the entire movement.

Grand: simply means the enlargement or intensifying ofa movement normally done in petit or demi (grandmeaning big). Various grand steps include: the grandadagio, grand assemble, ballonne, battement,changement de pieds, echappe, emboite, fouette, jete,pas de basque, pirouette, plie, port de bras, releve, andronds de jombe.

__________________

H


3/5

Hands: As unimportant as they may seem, the hands ofa dancer are actually very important to their level oftechnique. When in position, the fingers should be freelygrouped and rounded somewhat to continue the curve ofthe arms. The thumb should touch the middle finger andbe held there during exercises. No spread hands orungrouped thumbs are acceptable.

Head: The head of a dancer is important in every aspectof ballet technique. It symbolizes the true artistry andbeauty of ballet and it is necessary for a dancer to learnthe correct placement for it. To see examples of this andto gather more detailed information, see Port de brasin the Basic Movements section of Arabesque.

__________________

I

___________________

J

Jete: comes from the French word, jeter, which means to

throw or in ballet, to throw the leg and fall onto it.This movement is similar to the glissade in that they areboth types of gliding movements. TO EXECUTE: themost common jete starts in 5th position (right footfront). Demi-plie and tendu the right foot front. Executea pas de bourree or simple preparation movement andbring the back foot forward in what resembles a leap.The arms are immediately in arabesque position and thefront foot lands first, with the back foot following inbehind. Finish in 5th position and demi-plie. Morecomplex jetes include: the jete battu, en tounant, entournant par terre, entrelance, ferme, fondu, grand, inhalf turns, pass, on pointes, and renverse.

Jumps: the act of swiftly moving into the air in anupward motion.

________________________

L

________________________

M

Movements (Noverre's seven): Noverre (1727-1810, adancer and ballet master whose writings revolutionizedballet) analyzed all balletic movements into seven basiccategories. These are: plier, to bend; tendre, to stretch;relever, to rise; sauter, to leap; lancer, to dart; glisser,to glide; and tourner, to turn.

________________

N

________________

O

________________

Opposition: Movement (or position) of the arms inopposite direction to movement (or position) of thelegs--as we move our arms when we walk.

_______________

P

_______________

Pas: A step. Many of the common names of steps in

ballet are adjectives (or participles) instead of nouns;these names have the word "pas" understood: thus, forexample, "coup" (which everybody says) is actuallyshort for "pas coup" ["cut step"] (which nobody says).Also used to refer to a dance, as pas de deux, a dancefor two; pas de quatre, a dance for four.

Pas de Basque ["Basque step"]: Starts in 5th position;assume right foot front. On the upbeat, demi-pli; theright foot glides forward in crois and continues with ademi-rond de jambe en dehors to the side, while the leftfoot remains in pli. A small jump occurs onto the rightfoot in demi-pli. The left foot now glides through 1st

position into crois forward. On the final count, theweight is transferred to the left foot and a small jump ismade to bring the feet together where the left one wasplaced. The movement finishes in 5th crois.(Charlotte's FAVORITE!)

Pas de bourre ["bourre step," the bourre being an oldfolk dance]: This term has at least two meanings.

1. One of the simplest connecting steps, used to linkother steps in a combination. The commonest form isprobably the pas de bourre dessous. Assume your rightfoot is in front: left foot on half pointe; step on it and put

your weight on it; move the right foot to the side,transfer your weight to it (also in relev); move the leftfoot to the front of the right and put your weight on bothfeet in a pli.

2. (properly called pas de bourre couru, "running pas debourre" or pas de bourre suivi, "followed pas debourre"). A gliding movement by a dancer on pointeconsisting of many very small steps taken with the feetclose together. When a dancer uses bourre as a verb("Then you bourre downstage"), she usually means pasde bourre couru.

Pas de chat ["step of the cat"]: A jump. Leap off the leftleg, starting from a pli and raising the right leg intoretir. In midair, raise the left leg into retir, too, so yourlegs form a diamond shape in the air. Land on the rightleg with the left leg still in retir; then bring it down,landing in another pli. In the famous dance in SwanLake in which the four cygnets dance with interlacedarms, they do sixteen pas de chat.

Pas de cheval ["step of the horse"]: Starting with theworking leg in pointe tendu, draw it along the floor backto the supporting leg; then, without pausing, move it upto cou-de-pied and back out to pointe tendu in a small

developp. The step resembles the pawing of a horse.

Pass ["passed"]: A movement in which the pointed footof the working leg is made to pass the knee of thesupporting leg. Frequently used--incorrectly--as asynonym for retir.


4/5

Pench ["leaning"]: A tilting of the body to achieve anexteme picture. An example is when the dancer is in anarabesque at 90 degrees. She then pushes her workingleg upward and over, pushing the body down towardsthe supporting leg to achieve a much greater anglebetween legs, often resulting in a 180-degree split.

Petit battement ["little beat"]: An exercise for speed andagility in the lower leg. In the starting position, theworking leg is sur le cou-de-pied. It opens in thedirection of 2nd position but only half way, as the legdoes not fully extend at the knee. The working leg thencloses to sur le cou-de-pied opposite of where it started(in back if it started in front and vice versa). Donerepeatedly, back and front. The knee and thigh of theworking leg stay in the same place and do not moveduring the exercise.

Petit jet ["little jump"]: A jump: brush the working footout, hop off the supporting leg, and land on the workingfoot with the other foot sur le cou-de-pied behind. Canbe done to the front, the side, or the back.

Pirouette ["spin"]: A complete turn on one leg. Thedancer usually goes round more than once. The raisedleg is most commonly held in rtir, but pirouettes withthe leg in other positions are not uncommon. If thedirection of the turn rotates the raised leg away from thefront of the body, the pirouette is en dehors; if it rotatesthe leg toward the front, it is en dedans. The dancerspots (see "spotting") in order to avoid becomingdisoriented. Pirouettes are usually fast, but supportedpirouettes, in which a partner steadies the soloist, maybe done very slowly.

Placement: Roughly, alignment of the body. Becomingproperly placed means learning to stand up straight, withhips level and even, shoulders open but relaxed and

centered over the hips, pelvis straight (neitherprotruding nor tucked under), back straight, head up,weight centered evenly between the feet. This posture isfrequently described as "pulled up," but it is also arelaxed posture; you aren't tensed up like a soldierstanding at attention. (A teacher once said you shouldimagine that you are suspended by a thread attached tothe top of your head. This suggests both the "pulled-up"and relaxed aspects of good ballet posture.) And as youdance, you seek to maintain this posture except whenthe step requires something different, like paulement,or like the slight forward arch of the spine thataccompanies an arabesque.

Plier ["to bend"]: One of Noverre's seven movements(see movements).

Pli ["bent"]: Knee bends, done with the legs turned out.Normally the first exercise in a ballet class. Demi-pli["half-bent"] is a shallow bend (in all positions butsecond, as far down as you can go without lifting theheels off the floor); grand pli ["big pli"] is a deep bend,down to where the thighs are almost horizontal. In allpositions except second, the heels release from the floorin a grand pli.

Pointe ["point"]: (demi ["half"], quarter, three-quarter,sur les pointes ["on the points"]). The point of the foot.Demi-pointe, etc., refer to how far the heel is raised offthe floor in a relev. Definitions vary, but this will do forstarters: quarter point is with the heel just off the floor;three-quarter point is a straight line from the knee to theball of the foot. Demi pointe is half way between. Sur les

pointes, or "on pointe," is on the tips of the toes--literally. Children should not be allowed to go on pointeuntil the bones of their feet are fully developed--typicallyabout the age of 11 or 12.

Pointe tendu ["stretched point (of the foot)"]: A positionin which the working leg is stretched straight out in anydirection with only the tip of the foot touching the floor.

Port de bras ["carriage of the arms"]: 1. How a danceruses his arms. 2. Specific movements of the arms, as

first port de bras, second port de bras, etc. 3.Sometimes used instead of cambr. A grand port de brasis a circular bend, either toward the barre, then down,then up away from the barre, and then backward andback toward the barre: or the same thing in the oppositedirection.

Positions: see feet, positions of and arms, positions of.

Positions on stage: See: Crois, effac, en face, cart.

Promenade ["walk"]: A pivot turn in which the dancermoves slowly around by shifting the heel of the

supporting leg. The rest of the body may be in arabesqueor attitude. In a supported promenade, the partner turnsthe soloist.

________________

Q

________________

Quatrime ["fourth"]: Fourth position. (See feet,positions of and arms, positions of.)

Quatrime, la ["in the fourth"]: la quatrime devantis with the working leg stretched out to the front; laquatrime derrire is with the working leg stretched tothe back.

____________________

R

____________________

Relever ["to rise"]: One of Noverre's seven movements(see movements).

Relev ["raised"]: A movement in which the heels areraised off the floor. The rise may be smooth or aided bya slight spring, depending on the school. A dancer insuch a position is said to be "in relev."

Retir ["withdrawn"]: A position in which the workingfoot is drawn up to the knee of the supporting leg. Alsofrequently (and incorrectly) called pass.

Rond de jambe ["circular movement of the leg"]: A

movement in which the working leg is made to describea letter D about the supporting leg. May be done with theworking foot on the floor or in the air. In a rond dejambe en dehors ("outward") on the floor, the workingleg moves from first (or fifth) position to pointe tenduforward, makes a half circle to pointe tendu in back, andthen returns to first, if the rond de jambe is to be


5/5

repeated, and otherwise to first or fifth. A wonderfulexercise for turnout. In a rond de jambe en dedans("inward"), the direction of movement is reversed. In ademi rond de jambe, the working leg goes only half-wayaround, stopping in second position. A grand rond dejambe, is executed with the supporting leg in pli. A rondde jambe en l'air ("in the air") is done with the workingleg raised off the floor, frequently at an angle of 90degrees (parallel to the floor).

________________

S

________________

Sauter ["to leap"]: One of Noverre's seven movements(see movements).

Seconde, la ["in second"]: In second position, i.e., tothe side. (See feet, positions of and arms, positions of.)

Sissonne [Named for its inventor]: A type of jump thathas several forms, among them: sissonne simple,

sissonne ouverte, sissonne ferme, sissonne fondue, andothers. Not to be confused with ciseaux.

{ In sissonne simple, the most elementary form, themovement begins in 5th position. Jump straight up, withthe legs together and the feet pointed. Land on one footin demi-pli, with the other foot sur le cou-de-pied eitherin front or back (corresponding to whether the foot sur lecou-de-pied began in front or back--it does notchange). }

Soubresaut ["sudden leap"]: A jump from both feet toboth feet. Beginning in 5th crois, the feet push off the

floor so that the body flies forward with feet pointed andlegs together. Before the jump, the body inclinesforward, and then during the jump bends forcefully back,so that the legs remain at the back. The movement endsin 5th crois. The arms are free and depend only on thedesign of what is being sought after; when studying,they usually begin in preparatory, come up to first duringthe jump, and end in preparatory again.

Sous-sus ["under-over"] (or sus-sous ["over-under"]): Arelev in a tight fifth position with one foot almost on topof the other.

Soutenu ["sustained"]: (a) Performed smoothly andslowly. (b) Also used to indicate a smooth dtourn. For(a), can be: where from 5th position, the working leg istaken out to the front, 2nd position, or to the back, whilethe supporting leg is lowers to demi-pli. Then thesupporting leg rises to demi or full pointe while theworking leg is drawn into it, ending in a tight sus-sousposition.

Spotting: A technique for for keeping oriented andavoiding dizziness during turns. Pick a spot (someconspicuous object); keep looking at it as you turn untilyou can't any longer; then quickly turn your head so you

are looking at it again.

Sur le cou-de-pied: See cou-de-pied, sur le.

_______________

T

_______________

Temps: Literally, "time," but perhaps "moment" would bebetter. A movement that forms part of a step. Grant saysa part in which there is no transfer of weight, whichraises some interesting questions about temps li.

Temps lev ["raised movement"]: Temps lev is the verysimplest jump from one foot onto the same foot with the

other foot raised.

Temps li ["joined movement"]: This is a term for awhole series of conventionally connected movementsexecuted in the center of the room, often during anadagio. However, it is also the term for an independentform of a step. In the basic form of the temps li, standin 5th position croise, arms in preparatory position. Theworking leg is drawn, without taking the toe off the floor,into crois devant, while the supporting leg bends intodemi-pli; simultaneously, the arms are raised into 1stposition with the head slightly inclining towards theshoulder corresponding to the supporting leg. Then, the

weight is transferred through demi-pli to crois derrireonto what was the working leg. Here, both legs arecompletely stretched with the now working leg stretchedtoe to the floor in back. At the moment of weighttransfer, the arm that corresponds to the now workingleg is raised overhead, while the other arm openssideward; the head turns towards the sideward arm.Finally, the working leg closes in 5th back; arms mayremain or stay.

Tendu ["stretched"]: See: battement tendu and pointetendu.

Terre--terre ["ground to ground"]: Used to describesteps in which the dancer's feet do not leave the floor.Antonym: movements).

Travesti, en ["in disguise"]: Of a female dancer: dancinga male role in a man's costume; of a male dancer:dancing a female role in a woman's costume.

Turnout: The balletic stance in which the legs are rotatedoutward so that the legs (and feet) point in oppositedirections. A dancer adopting this position is said to be"turned out." Usage varies, but most people seem tomeasure the degree of turnout by the angle between the

foot and the mid-saggital plane of the body. The ideal,with both feet in a straight line, is thus 90 degrees ofturnout. Turnout must begin at the hip. Forcing the feetand letting everything else follow puts severe strain onthe joints, especially the knees, and defeats the purposeof turnout, which is to rotate the thigh bone to permitgreater extension, especially to the side.

basic terms of ballet

Documents