Terminology of the ballet dancing

The ballet dancing uses different not , attitudes, positions , movements and codified expressions , of which one will find description hereafter.

See too

traditional Position .

Bibliography to be consulted

Genevieve Guillot and Germaine Prudhommeau, Grammar of the ballet dancing . Paris, Hatchet, 1969.
Jacqueline Country cottage-Haas, Manuel practices of ballet dancing . Paris, Amphora, 1979.
Jacqueline Country cottage-Haas, Terminology of the ballet dancing . Paris, Amphora, 1987.

With

Proverb : during the lesson, the proverb is a succession of slow movements making it possible to control its body and its balance by carrying out movements like arabesques, walks, while taking care of the beauty of the gesture and the coordination of the various parts of the body (of which the head). On scene, the proverb is generally interpreted by two dancers, which allows the introduction of carried; it must carry out a harmonious combination between the two partners. The proverb constitutes the first standard part of a step of two at the 19th century; it is followed by the variation of the dancer, then by that of the man, before the final one who brings together the two dancers.
Arabesque : the arabesque is an installation (inspired by Eastern reasons) in which the dancer or the dancer raises a leg tended to the back, an arm forwards prolonging the line of the raised leg. The second arm is generally perpendicular to the first (on side) except in fourth arabesque where it can be placed backwards, in prolongation of the first. According to the position of the arms in correlation with that of the legs, one speaks about first, second, third or fourth arabesque.
Assembled : assembled is a jump which starts from a foot and arrives on two. One leaves the fifth position, one carries out one released (ahead, on side or behind) and one jumps. During the jump the two legs meet with the vertical. One finishes the jump on one folded in fifth.
Assembled constant : starting from the fifth, to release, prick, bring back the other foot above and to turn, then to close again in fifth.
Attitude: the attitude is a position where the dancer has a leg folded in the rather high air. The attitude can be in front of, with the second (on side) or behind. One passes from the attitude behind to the arabesque by tightening the leg which is in the air.

B

Balanced : change of leg of support by swinging of the body from left to right (or from right to left) or of before behind (or of back ahead).
Swollen : jump which starts from half-compartment behind, one poses the foot of behind while jumping while the leg of front is tightened then returns in half-compartment when the ground again is touched.
Bar (see this word)
Ballotté : jump on the spot of a foot on the other and of before behind, composed of alternatively developed beats.
Basque (not of) : not which can be done ahead or behind and which makes it possible to move. It leaves the fifth. One releases the foot of front or of behind (by expemple the right foot) on folded to make a round half leg. One then changes the weight of the body to pass on the foot which was released (right) by changing direction. Then one carries out a dependant time while passing by the first. One finishes while closing in fifth.
Basque (jump of) : jump of the family of the jetés, moved and rotary.
Beat : one leaves the fifth position and one launches the leg to front, on the side or to the back. The beat ends in the fifth position of the legs. With the difference of the large beat, the simple beat or small beat is lighter, it does not go up as high as the large beat.
Beat (large) : a beat can be carried out in cross; a large beat consists in launching the leg tended to 90 degrees or more. A large beat ends in a fifth position of the legs.
Battery : one calls battery the movements of the legs which entrechoquent one or more time while one is in the air at the time of jumps.
Beaten (not) :
Hind (not of) : the step of hind consists in making like a driven out step, but of face and with dash.
Faggot (not of) : not in three times which allow a simple change of foot with a light side displacement. One of the first learned with the pupil. There are various types: simple, below, above, above and below…

See also the description of the not of faggot at the 18th century .

Faggot boat (not of) : not leaving on a folded leg, the other released behind in open fourth; the foot of behind spade behind that of front, this one pricks in open fourth and the foot of behind is posed flat behind the right which releases in fourth in front of open. One remakes then the movement contrary, thus giving an impression of swinging.
Broken : broken consists in launching a leg to 15 cm of the ground (e.g.: right leg) and to jump with the other leg by crossing the 2 legs in the air (initially right in front of then left in front of in the air) and while falling down in fifth position as at the beginning (right-hand side behind).

C

Caper : one speaks about caper since a time raised is beaten. A leg leaves in the air, the second joined it and striking before resting on the ground.
Change of foot : jump of the family of the sudden starts, which leaves the 2 feet and arrives on 2. During the jump one changes the foot of front.
Driven out (not) : a driven out step (or simply “driven out”) is often used in the ballet dancing or modern. These is a simple step which can be also used to take dash (for example for a great jeté). One carries out a step driven out (after one released for example) in “driving out” the foot of front thanks to the other foot, while advancing. A driven out step is carried out in general in fourth (i.e. forwards) or with the second.
Horse (not of) : the step of horse is a jump which moves. One places oneself in attitude in front of (right leg for example) and one jumps while changing leg. The leg which was on the ground (left in the example) goes then in attitude in front. And so on.
Hitch : it leaves in fifth. The foot of behind cut, the leg of front is the ground leg for the balance which follows, the leg assembled in balance slips along the thigh, and poses in second and becomes the ground leg for the second balance. The leg assembled in firm balance in fifth in front.
Coryphée : fourth level in the hierarchy of the Ballet of the Opera of Paris.
Cut : the half-compartment is the action, starting from the fifth, to fold the two legs, raising slightly that of to behind tighten the point behind ankle of the ground leg.

D

Déboulé : sequence of fast towers passing by the second or the fifth position on half-time.
Released : one released is the action of tightening a leg by pointing the foot.
Half-hitch : start with one withdrawn with small height followed of one slipped ahead, as in a normal hitch. The difference is that one does not change a leg but one already uses that in front of (or behind if one makes a half-hitch behind) carrying out the hitch.
Half-folded : one half-folded can be carried out in all the positions; it consists in folding the legs without raising the heels (large-folded consists in going down low and taking off the heels)
Demi-pointes (see this word)
Détourné : rotation on 2 feet, in fifth position, on the side of the back leg.
Developed : consistent movement with tightening a leg on the basis of one withdrawn and passing by a attitude. One developed can be finished in arabesque (when the raised leg is behind), in second position (when this one is on the side) or in fourth (when it is in front).

E

Variation (large) : the wide variation starts from one split then one tightens the leg of front to arrive at a straight line on the ground formed by the legs (the wide variation can be facial or side i.e. in fourth or with the second).
Escaped : jump which is carried out in two times. Departure in fifth position, one jumps while keeping the tight legs (as a sudden start) then while redescandant one opens them at the second or in fourth. To close again it is enough to make the step with back and to change the foot on arrival. One can use it like a change of feet.
Escaped beaten : one begins in fifth position in front of then in second, in fifth in front of then in fifth behind (escaped + royal).
Encased : to encase is a manner of saying that the two points are tightened and tightened one against the other.
In-inside : says itself of a turn.
In-outside : says itself of a turn. The turn left in fourth, the leg of front becomes the ground leg.
Entrechat : sudden start or change of beaten foot.
Entrechat four : jump during which the foot of behind carries out a rapid in front of-behind and rests as it had left in fifth.
Wrapped :
Star : first level in the hierarchy of the Ballet of the Opera of Paris.

F

Cop-flac : the cop-flac is a step resulting from the folk dance and of character, which starts from a released to the second, one closes in fifth (in front of or behind) then cut, closed in fifth, thrown with the second, closed in fifth (in front of if one had closed behind the first time, behind in the other case), then crossed. If one closes in front of in first the cop-flac is in-outside, if not it is in-inside.
Molten : action “to melt” its steps, to fold them.
Whipped : there are various kinds of whipped:

whipped in-inside and -outside
whipped jumped the
whipped on Points or the Half-time one:

one pricks on the right leg (for example), one raises the left leg in front of and one turns on the point (half-time) by leaving the left leg tended in the air; one thus finishes in arabesque on point (or half-time)
in the form of pirouette: one makes a pirouette then one develops the right leg (or left) in front of and one folds the ground leg. The leg in the air makes a round leg until side then folds up and remakes a pirouette, and so on

One can make the whipped double ones, i.e. with two pirouettes between the round of leg.

G

Gargouillade : it is a jump of cat where one leaves on the side of the foot of front and where foot is changed. At the 18th century, Camargo was famous for its “gargouillades”.
Slip : at the beginning of the fifth position, it consists of a released, followed by a transfer of weight of the body on the leg which released, the other closing again in fifth. Released can be done on the basis of front or of behind - at the second or in fourth -, while closing in front of or behind. There thus exist slidings “top-top” (the foot of releasing front remaining in front), “below-top” (the foot of behind finishing in front), “dessous-dessous” (the foot of behind releasing remaining behind) and “top-below” (the foot of behind finishing front). The movement is done slipped as its name indicates it, and not jumped…
Glissé (not) :

H

I

J

Thrown : the jeté is a jump started on a leg and finished on the other (contrary to the “sissonne” started on two feet and finished on one, or to the “assembled” started on a foot and finished on both). There exist various forms of jetés.
Thrown (large) : the great jeté is a jump forwards by making the wide variation. By taking dash (some driven out steps) one makes the wide variation, but in the middle of the jump.
Justaucorps (see this word)
Thrown (of not stuffed) : it leaves the fifth position. One releases behind, one diverts, one drives out in fourth, the foot of behind master key in whipped in front of, and takes the place of the foot of ground while jumping. The step finishes in arabesque, which poses, and arms crown it goes down in one cambered.

K

L

M

Horse-gear : the horse-gear is a circular course around the scene. The steps can be turns piqués but also of the sequences of great jumps and not of connections (for example slip - great jeté). The horse-gears can only be done or with several.
Mazurka (not of)
Carried out : one carried out is a sequence of steps carried out on points. Starting from the fifth position on points, one advances side of the leg of front by folding and tightening the legs quickly. It is the leg of behind which advances in “pushing” that of front, which gives this impression of lightness as if one effleurait only the ground.

NR

O

P

Passepied (see this word)
Leaning :
Piqué : displacement which starts from a position feet flat to arrive at a position on points.
Pirouette : the pirouette consists of a raised turn which, starting from a position on the two feet, is done on only one foot raised on half-time or on Pointes. One speaks about pirouette when rotation is fast.
Folded : movement of heating which is carried out by folding the legs in-outside.
Points (see this word)
Polonaise (not of) :
Wearing of arm : the wearing of arm, as its name indicates it, one is carried, i.e. one supports the action of the arms and which one remains in the position where one is to move them harmoniously.
Carried fish : the dancer carried to the leg of front in withdrawn and the leg of behind in arabesque.
Position : placements of the feet of the dancers (first, second, third, fourth, fifth)
First dancer : second level in the hierarchy of the Ballet of the Opera of Paris.

Q

Squares : fifth and last level in the hierarchy of the Ballet of the Opera of Paris.

R

Withdrawn : placement of the foot to the knee or with ankle with the leg folded in-outside.
Raised : rise on half-time or points. There exist statements on 2 feet or 1 foot.
Reverence : released folded in front of or on the side with wearing of arm to the second. No safety. There exists many other reverences.
Round of leg : the round of leg (or round-of-leg) with ground starts from a fixed position, the 2 feet on the ground, then it is enough to point in front of oneself and “to draw” a half-circle towards outside while passing well by a second behind. In the air, one is makes similar that on the ground while raising the leg, one is develops the second then one makes circles (rather flattened) with the leg, in a direction or the other.
Royal : “royal” is a jump. It starts in fifth in front of and crosses ahead to land in fifth behind.

S

Jump of Basque : jump of the family of the thrown , moved and rotary.
Jump of hind : jump like the great jeté, except that the front leg is folded and brought back under the thigh.
Jump of cat : the jump of cat consists of a jump on the side, while raising the knees with height of the chest, the two folded legs, and which finishes in fourth or fifth position.
Swan dive : moved sudden start.
Sissonne : the sissonne is a jump: 2 feet propel and 1 foot takes delivery of. One distinguishes in particular:

sissonne withdrawn : to fold, jump with the tightened legs, to take delivery of on a leg the other being “cut”.
sissonne arabesque : to fold, jump while advancing in position of “arabesque”, to take delivery of in arabesque, then to close.

Sudden start : vertical jump which starts from 2 feet to arrive on 2.
Sujet : third level in the hierarchy of the Ballet of the Opera of Paris.
Uplift : short action consisting in marking time while putting itself on the point of the feet.

T

Time of thigh :
Time of arrow : change of weight of a leg on the other.
Time raised : jump which starts from a foot to arrive on the same one.
dependant Time : it is a released folded fifth with the fourth where the weight of the body changes leg.
Turn : rotation resting against only one foot.
Facing lathe : it is about a step generally carried out by the men. it is a sudden start or a change of foot which turns in the air.
Turn whipped :
Turn piqué : the turn piqué is done in theory in horse-gear or diagonal. It is a turn “in-inside”, because one turns towards the leg of support, but there exist also turns piqués “in-outside”.
Tutu (see this word)

V

Waltz (not of) : be carried out in three times like the waltz.

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