Kristy Nilsson's
Ballet Terminology Page
The Nine Basic Body Positions FRONT croisé - crossed à la quatrième devant - to the fourth, front effacé - effaced or shaded SIDE écarté - torn apart or separated à la seconde - to the second écarté derrière - torn apart, back BACK épaulé -shoulder (also called effacé derrière) à la quatrième derrière - to the fourth, back croisé derrière - crossed behind
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Seven Basic Movements of Dance Jean-George Noverre , 1727-1810Dancer & Ballet Master
plier - to bend élancer - to dart tourner - to turn sauter - to jump relever - to rise glisser - to glide étendre - to stretch
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At the Barre plié - to bend demi - half grand - large, full tendu - to stretch dégagé - to disengage glissé - to glide jeté - to throw en croix - in the shape of a cross pas de cheval - step of the horse rond de jambe - circling the leg à terre - on the ground en l’air - in the air en dehors - outward en dedans - inward fondue - to melt frappé - to strike petit battement - little beating battement serres - tight beating grand battement - large beating
Turns chaînés - chains déboulés - to tumble détourné - to turn aside fouetté - to whip piqué - to prick or perch pirouette - to whirl soutenu - sustained tour - turn
Centre Work adagio - slow (Italian) allongé - to elongate allegro - fast (Italian) balancé - rocking step balançoire - like a see-saw bourrée - bourrée is a Russian folk dance cambré - bent coupé - to cut developpé - to develop élevé - to elevate en cloche - like a bell épaulement - shouldering, refers to use of torso échappé - to escape failli - giving away fouetté - to whip menège - carousel pas de Basque - step of the Basque pas de bourrée - bourrée step (the bourrée is a Russian folk dance) pas de couru - running step passé - to pass penché - to lean piqué - to prick or perch port de bras - carriage of the arms port de corps - carriage of the body promenade - promenade, to take a walk relevé - to rise renvercé - to tip over reverence - reverence, respect rotacion - rotation soutenu - sustained tombé - to fall temps lié - linked time or linked moment
| Jumps assemblé - to assemble ballon - balloon, refers to “hang time” ballonné - like a ball ballotté - to toss battu / batterie - beating brisé - broken brisé volé - broken and flying cabriole - like a little goat changement - changing chassé - to chase ciseaux - scissors contra temps - counter time entrechat ___ - intertwined __ times trois - three quatre - four cinc - five six - six huit - eight entrelacé - interlaced or braided échappé sautée - to escape, jumped emboité - boxed fouetté sautée - to whip, jumped garguillade - gurgling, scribbling glissade - to glide jeté - to throw pas de chat -step of the cat royale - royal (named for King Louis XIV, who couldn’t do entrechat quatre and had to fake it.)saut de Basque - jump of the Basque saut de chat -jump of the cat sauté - to jump soubresaut - quick or sudden jump sissionne - was named for its inventor fermé - closed ouverte - opened temps de flesch - jump of the arrow temps de poisson - jump of the fish temps levé - lifted time or lifted moment tour en l’air - turn in the air tour jeté - turning throw
Positions arabesque - Arabic attitude - attitude B-plus - named for Balanchine cou de pied - neck of the foot en face - facing front sur le cou de pied - on the neck of the foot retiré - to retire or withdraw sous-sus - under-over (or sus-sous - over-under)
Arm Positions en bas - low en avant - in front en haute - high à la seconde - to the second
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