| Adagio
(Adage) |
a succession of slow and graceful
movements which may be simple or of the most complex |
| Air, en l' |
Indicates that a movement is to be made
in the air |
| Allégro |
bright and brisk movements. |
| Alonge |
extension of arms in
arabesque |
| Arabesque, |
standing on one
leg with raised leg extended in straight line to rear and foot
pointed (4 positions used) |
| Arriére, en |
backwards; shows
a step is executed moving away from the audience |
| Assemblé |
rising off
floor, on one leg and landing on two (straightening both legs in
air) and returning to fifth position |
| Attitude |
a position on one leg with the other
lifted in back, the knee bent at an angle of 90 degrees and well
turned out so that the knee is higher than the foot |
| Avant, en |
a given step is executed moving forward,
toward the audience |
| Balancé |
a rocking step; an alternation of
balance, shifting the weight from one foot to the other |
| Ballerina |
usually the principal female dancer
in a ballet company |
| Ballet |
A theatrical work or entertainment in
which a choreographer has expressed his ideas in group and solo
dancing to a musical accompaniment with appropriate costumes,
scenery and lighting. |
| ballet d'action |
ballet that tells a story, many
times tragic |
| Ballet master, ballet
mistress |
person in a ballet company whose duty is
to give the daily company class and to rehearse the ballets in the
company repertoire |
| Balletomane |
A ballet fan or enthusiast. The word was
invented in Russia in the early nineteenth century. |
| Ballon |
the light, elastic quality in jumping in
which the dancer bounds up from the floor, pauses a moment in the
air and descends lightly and softly, only to rebound in the air like
the smooth bouncing of a ball |
| ballonne' |
broad leap with battement kick |
| Ballonné, pas |
step in which the dancer springs into the
air extending one leg to the front, side or back and lands with the
extended leg either sur le cou-de-pied or retiré |
| Ballotté |
step consists of coupé dessous and
coupé dessus performed in a series with a rocking, swinging
movement - ballotté is performed traveling forward on ballotté en
avant and backward on ballotté en arrière to the place from which
the first jump began |
| Barre |
horizontal bar opposite mirrors
and along a wall in studio for class exercises - where every class
begins exercises |
| Battement |
high or low kick: grand
battement or petit battement |
| Battement fondu
développé |
exercise in which the supporting leg is
slowly bent in fondu with the working foot pointing on the ankle. As
the supporting leg is straightened, the working leg unfolds and is
extended to point on the floor or in the air |
| Battement frappé |
exercise in which the dancer forcefully
extends the working leg from a cou-de-pied position to the front,
side or back. This exercise strengthens the toes and insteps and
develops the power of elevation |
| Battement sur le
cou-de-pied, petit |
an exercise at the bar in which the
working foot is held sur le cou-de-pied and the lower part of the
leg moves out and in, changing the foot from sur le cou-de-pied
devant to sur le cou-de-pied derrière and vice versa |
| Battement tendu |
the working foot slides from the first or
fifth position to the second or fourth position without lifting the
toe from the ground. Both knees must be kept straight. When the foot
reaches the position pointe tendue, it then returns to the first or
fifth position |
| Battement, grand |
exercise in which the working leg is
raised from the hip into the air and brought down again, the accent
being on the downward movement, both knees straight |
| Batterie |
beating together of feet or legs, esp. in midair |
| Battu |
beaten - any step embellished with a beat
is called a pas battu. As, for example, in jeté battu |
| Bourre'e |
traveling movement with feet moving in tine steps from
tight fifth position |
| Bras |
arms |
| Bras bas |
arms low or down - This is the dancer's
"attention." The arms form a circle with the palms facing
each other and the back edge of the hands resting on the thighs. The
arms should hang quite loosely but not allowing the elbows to touch
the sides |
| Bras, positions des |
the four arm positions |
| Brise' |
jump in which one leg beats
against the other in midair; small beating step in which the
movement is broken. Brisés are commenced on one or two feet and end
on one or two feet |
| Brisé volé |
flying brisé - the dancer finishes on
one foot after the beat, the other leg crossed either front or back |
Ballet and Acrobatic dance training help your child focus.
