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Ballet Terms |
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Alongé extension of arms in arabesque |
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Arabesqué, standing on one leg with raised leg extended in straight line to rear and foot pointed (4 positions used) |
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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 |
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Balancé a rocking step; an alternation of balance, shifting the weight from one foot to the other |
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Ballerina usually the principal female dancer in a ballet company |
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Battement high or low kick: grand battement or petit battement |
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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 |
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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 |
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Bourre'e traveling movement with feet moving in tine steps from tight fifth position |
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Bras arms |
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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 |
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Cavalier The male partner of the ballerina |
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Chaînés a series of rapid turns on the points or demi-pointes done in a straight line or in a circle. |
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Changement springing steps in the fifth position, the dancer changing feet in the air and alighting in the fifth position with the opposite foot in the front |
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Chassé step in which one foot literally chases the other foot out of its position; done in a series. |
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Choreographer, choreographer term applied to one who composes or invents ballets or dances |
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Choreography, choreography term used to describe the actual steps, groupings and patterns of a ballet or dance composition |
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Cou-de-pied position working foot is placed on the part of the leg between the base of the calf and the beginning of the ankle |
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Demi-plié Half-bend of the knees. All steps of elevation begin and end with a demi-plié |
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Développé is a movement in which the working leg is drawn up to the knee of the supporting leg and slowly extended to an open position en l'air and held there with perfect control. The hips are kept level and square to the direction in which the dancer is facing. |
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Écarté separated, thrown wide apart |
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Échappé escaping or slipping movement - a level opening of both feet from a closed to an open position |
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Fondu, fondué sinking down - used to describe a lowering of the body made by bending the knee of the supporting leg |
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Fouetté whipped - applied to a whipping movement. The movement may be a short whipped movement of the raised foot as it passes rapidly in front of or behind the supporting foot or the sharp whipping around of the body from one direction to another |
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Fouetté en tourant large fouetté, turning |
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Fouetté rond de jambe en tournant whipped circle of the leg turning - the dancer executes a series of turns on the supporting leg while being propelled by a whipping movement of the working leg |
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Gateway, the first position, arms are held rounded in front of the body with the fingertips on a level with the bottom of the breastbone |
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Glissade a traveling step executed by gliding the working foot from the fifth position in the required direction, the other foot closing to it |
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Grand, grande big, large |
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Jeté jump from one foot to the other in which the working leg is brushed into the air and appears to have been thrown |
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Jeté battu jeté beaten |
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Jeté entrelacé jeté done in all directions and in a circle. It is usually preceded by a chassé or a pas couru to give impetus to the jump |
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Jeté, grand large jeté |
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Jeté, grand in attitude big leap forward preceded by a preliminary movement such as a pas couru or a glissade, which gives the necessary push-off |
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Jeté, petit small jeté |
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Pas de bourrée Bourrée steps done on the point or demi-pointe |
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Penché, penchée leaning, inclining, for example, in arabesque penchée |
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Petit, petite small |
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Piqué pricked, pricking - executed by stepping directly on the point or demi-pointe of the working foot in any desired direction or position with the other foot raised in the air |
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Pirouette whirl or spin - a complete turn of the body on one foot, on point or demi-pointe |
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Plié bent, bending - of the knee or knees. This is an exercise to render the joints and muscles soft and pliable and the tendons flexible and elastic, and to develop a sense of balance |
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Port de bras movement or series of smooth movements made by passing the arm or arms through various positions. The passage of the arms from one position to another constitutes a port de bras. Also term for a group of exercises designed to make the arms move gracefully and harmoniously |
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Promenade, tour de in a pas de deux, the ballerina on point holds her pose and is slowly turned by her partner who walks around her holding her hand. |
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Relevé raised - raising of the body on the points or demi-pointes, point or demi-pointe |
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Rond de jambe a circular movement of the leg |
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Saut de basque traveling step in which the dancer turns in the air with one foot drawn up to the knee of the other leg |
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Sauté, sautée this term is added to the name of a step when the movement is performed while jumping |
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Sissonne jumping step which begins on two feet and lands on one |
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Turn-out the ability of the dancer to turn his or her feet and legs out from the hip joints to a 90-degree position |