Ballet Terms: Meanings & Pronunciation (162 Terms)
162 ballet terms with plain definitions, French pronunciation (IPA) and links between related steps. Filter the list or jump to a letter.
A
Adagio
Italian, or French adage , meaning 'slowly, at ease.' Slow movements performed with fluidity and grace. One of the typical exercises of a tr…
Allegro
/alˈleːɡro/( ; meaning 'happy') Brisk, lively motion. An attribute of many movements, including those in which a dancer is airborne (e.g., assemblé , c…
Allongé
/alɔ̃ʒe/( ; meaning 'elongated.') Refers to a foot and leg position when the toes and knees are extended and elongated, rather than forming the usua…
Aplomb
The apparent elegance and precision exhibited by a confident, accomplished dancer.
Arabesque
In dance (particularly ballet), arabesque (French: [aʁabɛsk]; literally, "in Arabic fashion") is a body position in which a dancer stands on…
Arrière, en
/ɑ̃n aʁjɛːʁ/( ; meaning 'backwards') A movement towards the back, as opposed to en avant.
Arrondi
/aʁɔ̃di/( ; meaning 'rounded') A position of the hand. Rounded, in contrast with allongé ('stretched out', as in arabesque).
Assemblé
/asɑ̃ble/( ; literally 'assembled') Sometimes also pas assemblé . A jump that takes off from one foot and lands on two feet. When initiated with two …
Attitude
/atityd/A position in which a dancer stands on one leg (the supporting leg) while the other leg ( working leg) is raised and turned out with knee be…
Avant, en
/ɑ̃n avɑ̃/( ; meaning 'forwards') A movement towards the front, as opposed to en arrière , which is conversely a movement towards the back. For exampl…
À la quatrième
/a la katʁijɛm/One of the directions of body, facing the audience ( en face ), arms in second position, with one leg extended either to fourth position in …
À la seconde
/a la səɡɔ̃d/(Literally "to second") If a step is done "à la seconde", it is done to the side. 'Second position'. It can also be a balance extending one …
À terre
/a tɛʁ/Touching the floor; on the floor.
B
Balancé
/balɑ̃se/( ; "to swing or rock") A rocking sequence of three steps— fondu , relevé , fondu (down, up, down)—executed in three counts. Before the firs…
Balançoire
/balɑ̃swaʁ/( ; "swing [children's toy]") Swinging the working leg between front (devant) and back (derrière) through first position , usually in conjun…
Ballerina
(Italian) A principal female ballet dancer in a ballet company. Ballerinas get more lead roles, which are referred to as principal roles as …
Ballerino
An informal term for male dancers in a ballet company in Italy.
Ballet
French word meaning a ballet performance, a ballet work, a ballet company and possibly the ballet dance genre, although the expression danse…
Ballet technique
The foundational principles of body movement and form used in ballet.
Balletomane
A ballet fan or enthusiast. The word is of Russian origin c. 1930, with the suffix -mane coming from maniya ( mania ).
Ballon
Showing lightness of movement in leaps and jumps. A dancer exhibiting ballon will appear to spring effortlessly, float in mid-air, and land …
Ballonné
In classical ballet, the term ballonné is a step where the leg is extended (can be front, side, or back) at 45 degrees. The knee is then ben…
Ballotté
A ballotté ("tossed") is a jumping step in classical ballet that consists of coupé dessous and small developpés performed with a rocking and…
Barre
A sturdy horizontal bar, approximately waist height, used during ballet warm-up exercises and training. Fixed barres are typically mounted o…
Battement
An alternating side-to-side movement of the working (non-supporting) leg. Typically performed in multiples, quickly and in rapid succession …
Batterie
/batʁi/A general term for jumps in which the legs open slightly sideways and close (crossed in fifth position) multiple times, alternating feet. (S…
Battu
/baty/( ; meaning 'beaten') A movement with an extra beating of the feet included, as in jeté battu .
Bourrée
Quick movement of the feet, can be performed on pointe or on demi-pointe. The dancer straightens one leg (the leg in back) and bends a leg a…
Bras croisé
/bʁa kʁwaze/( ; literally 'crossed arms') Arm placement in which one arm is extended in second position away from the audience while the other is curved…
Bravura
/braˈvuːra/A flashy, showy and elaborate style of dance that involves a lot of elaborate steps and style to similar music. Usually during a key solo.
Brisé
/bʁize/( ; literally 'broken') A jump consisting of an assemblé traveling either forward (en avant) or backward (en arrière), with an extra beat th…
C
Cabriole
/kabʁijɔl/( ; meaning 'caper.') An allegro step in which the extended legs are beaten in the air. Cabrioles are divided into two categories: petite, w…
Cambré
/kɑ̃bʁe/( ; literally 'arched.') A bending at the waist in any direction, forward, backward, or to the side.
Changement de pied
/ʃɑ̃ʒmɑ̃/( ; literally 'change, changing.') A jump in which the feet change positions in the air. For example, beginning in fifth position with the r…
Chassé
(Literally 'chased.') A sliding movement forward, backward, or sideways with both legs bent, then springing into the air with legs straight …
Chaînés
/ʃɛne/( ; 'chained', plural.) Also known as "chaînés turns", a common abbreviation for tours chaînés déboulés , a series of quick, 360 degree turn…
Cloche, en
/ɑ̃ klɔʃ/( ; meaning 'like a bell.') Refers to brushing through first position from fourth devant or fourth derrière to the opposite fourth with the …
Coda
/ˈkoːda/; literally 'tail'). The concluding segment of a performance or suite of dances comprising a grand pas (e.g., grand pas de deux ). A particu…
Corps de ballet
The ensemble of a ballet company, especially the ensemble apart from the featured dancers. Being a part of the corps means one is neither a …
Coryphée
/kɔʁife/In some systems, a dancer of higher rank than a member of the corps de ballet, performing in small ensembles and small solo roles but not ra…
Cou-de-pied
/ku də pje/( ; 'neck of the foot.') Position of the arched working foot raised to, and resting on, the ankle. This could be in front (["conditional"] d…
Coupé
/kupe/( ; meaning 'cut.') Coupé is both a step and action. It is commonly executed from cou-de-pied front to cou-de-pied back or vice versa. It ma…
Couru
/kuʁy/( ; 'run,' past participle, as in 'making small quick steps.') In most cases, this holds the calves together and the feet in a tight fifth p…
Croisé, croisée
/kʁwɑze/( ; meaning 'crossed.') One of the positions of the body or épaulement . Facing one of the corners of the stage, the body presents at an obl…
Croix, en
/ɑ̃ kʁwɑ/( ; meaning 'in the shape of a cross.') Term often used during barre exercises to indicate that a step is done to the front, to the side, to…
Côté, de
/də kote/( ; 'sideways.') A movement traveling to the side.
D
Danseur
/dɑ̃sœʁ/A male ballet dancer .
Danseur noble
/dɑ̃sœʁ nɔbl/A male ballet dancer who excels in refined classical roles, often playing the prince or other royalty in a classical ballet.
Danseuse
/dɑ̃søz/A female ballet dancer.
Dedans, en
/ɑ̃ dədɑ̃/( ; 'inwards.') Inside movement. Circular movement where a leg that starts at the back or the side moves towards the front. For the right le…
Dehors, en
/ɑ̃ dəɔʁ/( ; 'outwards.') Circular movement where a leg that starts at the front or the side moves towards the back. For a right working leg, this is…
Demi
/dəmi/( ; meaning 'half.') Applied to plié , pointe , and other movements or positions to indicate a smaller or lesser version.
Demi-détourné
/dəmi detuʁne/A pivoted half turn executed on both feet. For example, if starting right foot front in fifth position, demi-plié and relevé onto demi-point…
Demi-pointe
/dəmi pwɛ̃t/Supporting one's body weight on the balls of one or both feet, heels raised off the floor.
Derrière
/dɛʁjɛːʁ/( ; literally 'behind.') At or to the back. For example, a battement tendu derrière is a battement tendu to the rear.
Dessous
/dəsu/( ; literally 'under.') Used to indicate that the front leg should be brought to close behind the other leg during a step. For example, asse…
Dessus
/dəsy/( ; literally 'over.') Used to indicate that the back leg should be brought to close in front of the other leg during a step. For example, a…
Devant
/dəvɑ̃/( ; literally 'front.') Facing or moving to the front, as in tendu devant or attitude devant .
Double
/dubl/( ; 'double.') Making two of a movement, such as in double rond de jambe en l'air .
Déboulés
/debule/; literally 'hurtled,' as in 'with great speed.') Another name denoting the same move as a chaîné (i.e. les tours chaînés déboulés ). Small,…
Dégagé
/deɡaʒe/( ; 'disengaged.') Common abbreviation for battement dégagé, the foot of the working leg sharply brushes through the floor through tendu poi…
Développé
/devlɔpe/Common abbreviation for temps développé . A movement in which the leg is lifted to cou-de-pied or retiré and then fully extended outward, pa…
E
Emboîté
/ɑ̃bwate/A small traveling step (en avant or en arrière) where each leg is alternately brought to cou-de-pied, passing the previous standing leg in d…
En
/ɑ̃/( ; meaning 'in.') A preposition used in description of a dancer's position (e.g., en plié , en relevé , en pointe ) or holding the meaning …
En croix
See Croix Front side back side ( in the shape of a cross )
En dedans
See Dedans Movement of the leg in an inwards rotation direction
Entrechat
/ɑ̃tʁəʃa/( ; from Italian intrecciata , 'intertwined.') "A step of beating in which the dancer jumps into the air and rapidly crosses the legs before…
Entrée
/ɑ̃tʁe/The initial part of a grand pas , which serves as an introduction for the suite of dances comprising the grand pas. The initial appearance o…
Entrée de ballet
An autonomous scene of ballet de cour , divertissement , comédie-ballet , opéra-ballet , even tragédie lyrique , which brings together sever…
Écarté
/ekaʁte/( ; literally 'spread,' as in 'separated.') One of the basic positions of the body facing the audience at an oblique angle and with the down…
Échappé
/eʃape/( ; literally 'escaped.') A movement done from a closed (first or fifth) position to an open (second or fourth) position. There are two kind…
Élevé
/elve/( ; 'raised, lifted.') Rising to pointe or demi-pointe from straight legs and flat feet. This term is used in some schools in contrast with …
Épaulement
/epolmɑ̃/( ; 'shouldering.') Rotation of the shoulders and head relative to the hips in a pose or a step. This term relates only to the movement of t…
Épaulé
/epole/( ; 'shouldered.') One of the positions of the body or épaulement where the body is at an oblique angle to the audience, the downstage arm i…
Étoile
The leading ballet dancer in a company.
F
Face, en
/ɑ̃ fas/( ; 'facing, in front of.') En face indicates facing something directly, generally the audience.
Failli
/faji/( 'given way', past participle.) A slide or brush-through transition step following a preceding jump or position. Failli is often used as sh…
Fermé, fermée
/fɛʁme/( ; 'closed.') Converse of ouvert(e) ('open'). Fermé may refer to positions (the first, fifth, and third positions of the feet are positions…
Fifth position
A posture in which the feet are turned outward. With one foot in the front and one in the back, you will make fifth position. The front foot…
First position (feet)
Turned out legs with the feet pointing in opposite directions, heels touching.
Fish dive
A partnering dance lift , often performed as part of a pas de deux , in which the male dancer supports the female in a poisson position.
Flic flac
/flik flak/Familiar French term for battement fouetté à terre . A step where the foot of the working leg sweeps flexed across the floor from pointed à …
Fondu
/fɔ̃dy/( ; literally 'melted.') Abbreviation for battement fondu , a lowering of the body made by bending the knee of the supporting leg, the worki…
Fouetté
/fwɛte/( ; literally 'whipped.') Fouetté itself refers to a move where a quick pivot on the supporting leg changes the orientation of the body and …
Fouetté jeté
/fwɛte ʒəte/A leap that begins with a fouetté .
Frappé
/fʁape/( ; 'struck.') Abbreviation of battement frappé. Action of extending the working foot out from cou-de-pied. In Cecchetti, RAD, and American …
G
Gargouillade
A complicated jump involving a pas de chat with a double rond de jambe.
Glissade
/ɡlisad/( ; literally 'glide.') A traveling step starting in fifth position from demi-plié . The leading foot brushes out to dégagé as weight bears …
Glissade précipitée
/ɡlisad pʁesipite/( ; "precipitated glide".) A quick glissade generally done leading into a following step, such as with glissade jeté or glissade assemblé .
Grand jeté
/ɡʁɑ̃ ʒəte/A long horizontal jump, starting from one leg and landing on the other. Known as a split in the air. It is most often done forward and usual…
Grand pas
A suite of individual dances that serves as a showpiece for lead dancers, demi-soloists , and in some cases the corps de ballet . Often rega…
Grand pas de chat
A jump where the leading leg extends forward through grand battement (a "French pas de chat ") or développé (an "Italian pas de chat ") and …
Grand plié
/ɡʁɑ̃ plije/A full plié or bending of the knees. Throughout the movement, the pelvis should be kept neutral, the back straight and aligned with the heel…
Grand écart
/ɡʁɑ̃t ekaʁ/( ; literally "big gap".) Opening the legs to 180°, front or sideways. Known as 'spagat' in German or 'the splits ' or 'jump splits' in Engl…
H
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P
Partnering
Dancing performed by a pair of dancers, typically a male and a female, in which the pair strives to achieve a harmony of coordinated movemen…
Pas
/pɑ/( ; literally 'step.') A dance, or a suite of dances as in grand pas .
Pas de basque
/pɑ d(ə) bask/( ; 'step of the Basques .') Halfway between a step and a leap, taken on the floor ( glissé ) or with a jump ( sauté ); it can be done movin…
Pas de bourrée
/pɑ d(ə) buʁe/( ; 'step of bourrée .') A quick sequence of movements beginning with extension of the first leg while demi-plié, closing the first leg to t…
Pas de chat
/pɑ d(ə) ʃa/( ; 'step of the cat.') A traveling sideways jump where while mid-air the legs are successively bent, brought to retiré, feet as high up as …
Pas de cheval
/pɑ də ʃ(ə)val/( ; 'step of the horse.') A movement of the leg (when extended) through first or fifth position, to cou-de-pied and then energetically out t…
Pas de deux
('Step of two.') A dance duet, usually performed by a female and a male dancer.
Pas de poisson
/pɑ də pwasɔ̃/( ; 'step of the fish.') A type of soubresaut , or a jump without a change of feet. From fifth position, a dancer executes a deep demi-plié …
Pas de quatre
('Step of four.') A dance by four dancers.
Pas de trois
('Step of three.') A dance by three dancers.
Pas de valse
/pɑ d(ə) vals/( ; 'waltz step.') A sequence of three steps— fondu, relevé, elevé (down, up, up)—always advancing (like a march), done in three counts to m…
Passé
/pɑse/( ; literally 'passed.') Passing the working foot through from back to front or vice versa. Generally used to refer to retiré passé , indica…
Penché
/pɑ̃ʃe/( ; 'tilted'.) Tilting the body forward about the hip of the supporting leg so that the head is lower than the working leg, as in arabesque …
Petit battement
Petit battement is when a ballet dancer swiftly moves his/her leg in front then behind their calf. This motion is normally done at the barre…
Petit saut
/p(ə)ti so/( ; 'small jump.') A small jump, in which the feet do not change positions in mid-air; also called temps levé sauté in the Vaganova vocabula…
Piqué
/pike/( ; meaning 'pricked.') A movement in which the raised, pointed foot of the working leg is lowered so that it pricks the floor and then eith…
Piqué turn
A tour piqué or piqué turn is a traveling turn executed by the leg stepping out onto an en pointe or demi-pointe foot becoming the supportin…
Pirouette
/piʁwɛt/A non-traveling turn on one leg, of one or more rotations, often starting with one or both legs in plié and rising onto demi-pointe or point…
Plié
/plije/( ; literally 'bent.') A smooth and continuous bending of the knees outward with the upper body held upright. In demi-plié , (in a first, se…
Pointe technique
The part of classical ballet technique that concerns pointe work (dancing on the tips of the toes).
Pointe work
Performing steps while on the tips of the toes, with feet fully extended and wearing pointe shoes , a structurally reinforced type of shoe d…
Pointe, en
/ɑ̃ pwɛ̃t/Supporting one's body weight on the tips of the toes, usually while wearing structurally reinforced pointe shoes .
Poisson
/pwasɔ̃/( ; literally 'fish.') A body position in which the back is arched and legs are crossed in fifth position or the working leg is held retiré.…
Port de bras
/pɔʁ d(ə) bʁa/( ; 'carriage of the arms.') An exercise for the movement of the arms (and in some schools, the upper body) to different positions. For exam…
Positions of the arms
There are two basic positions of the arms. In one, the dancer keeps the fingers of both arms almost touching to form an oval/round shape, ei…
Positions of the body
There are eight to eleven positions of the body in ballet, eight in Cecchetti and RAD and ten or eleven in the Russian and French schools. T…
Positions of the feet
The standard, basic placements of feet on the floor. Modern-day classical ballet employs five positions, known as the first position , secon…
Posé
/poze/; A term of the Cecchetti school and RAD. From a fondu , a dancer steps with a straight leg onto an en pointe or demi-pointe foot, then brin…
Pulling Up
Pulling up is critical to the simple act of rising up on balance and involves the use of the entire body. The feeling of being simultaneousl…
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R
"Russian" pas de chat
A jump where the legs are successively brought to attitude derrière instead of retiré. This variant of the pas de chat appears in several Pe…
Relevé
/ʁəlve/( ; 'raised, lifted.') Rising onto the balls ( demi-pointe ) or toes ( pointe ) of one or both feet. See also élevé .
Relevé lent
/ʁəlve lɑ̃/( ; 'lifted slowly.') Abbreviation of battement relevé lent . Term from the Russian school indicating raising the leg slowly from pointe ten…
Renversé
/ʁɑ̃vɛʁse/An attitude presented on a turn.
Retiré
/ʁətiʁe/A position of the working leg in which the leg is raised turned out and bent at the knee to the side so that the toe is located directly in …
Revoltade
/ʁəvɔltad/A bravura jump in which one lands on the leg from which one pushes off after that leg travels around the other leg which is lifted to a leve…
Rond de jambe
/ʁɔ̃ d(ə) ʒɑ̃b/( ; meaning 'leg circle.') Half-circle made by the pointed foot, from fourth front or back through second position to the opposite fourth an…
Royale
/ʁwajal/Another name for changement battu. A changement with a beating of the legs preceding the foot change. Example: with the right foot in front …
Révérence
/ʁeveʁɑ̃s/( ; 'reverence, bow.') A bow, curtsy, or grand gesture of respect to acknowledge the teacher and the pianist after class or the audience and…
S
Saut de chat
/so də ʃa/In RAD and American ballet, saut de chat refers to a jump similar to a grand jeté differing in that the front leg extends through a développ…
Sauté
/sote/( ; literally 'jumped.') Used to indicate a step executed jumping, e.g. sauté arabesque is an arabesque performed while jumping on the suppo…
Scáfuri
A rise, from flat to demi-pointe (from the balls to the tips of both feet), usually done multiple times in quick succession where the legs a…
Second position (feet)
Legs turned out with feet pointing in opposite directions and heels at least shoulder-width apart.
Sickle
A term that refers to the reverse of a winging, indicating a foot where the heel is too far back so the toes are in front of the ankle and h…
Sissonne
/sisɔn/Although commonly thought to mean a scissor step, sissonnes are in fact named after the originator of the step. There are many types of siss…
Soubresaut
/subʁəso/A sudden spring or small jump from both feet, traveling forward in either first, third, or fifth position and landing on both feet in the sa…
Sous-sous
/su su/( ; literally 'under-under.') A relevé , or rise, into a tight fifth position, feet touching and ankles crossed, giving the appearance of on…
Soutenu en tournant
/sutny ɑ̃ tuʁnɑ̃/( ; 'sustained.') Similar to tours chaînés (déboulés) , a soutenu turn is a turn usually done in multiples in quick succession. The dancer f…
Split
A configuration of the legs in which the legs are extended in opposite directions, either to the side ( straddle split) or with one leg forw…
Sur le cou-de-pied
/syʁ lə ku də pje/( ; literally 'on the neck of the foot.') The arched working foot is placed wrapped at the part of the leg between the base of the calf and …
T
Temps levé
/tɑ̃ l(ə)ve/( ; literally 'time raised.') A term from the Cecchetti school indicating a hop on one foot while the other is raised in any position. The i…
Temps levé sauté
/tɑ̃ l(ə)ve sote/( ; literally 'time raised jumped.') A term from the Russian school. This can be executed with both feet from first, second, third, fourth, …
Temps lié
/tɑ̃ lje/( ; 'time linked.') A term indicating the transfer of weight from one leg to another by shifting through to the position without any sort of…
Tendu
/tɑ̃dy/( ; literally 'stretched.') Gradually extending the working leg to the front ( tendu devant ), side, or back, passing from flat to demi-poin…
Tights
Most ballet dancers wear tights in practices and performances unless in some contemporary and character dances or variations.
Tombé
/tɔ̃be/( ; literally 'fallen.') The action of falling, typically used as a lead-in movement to a traveling step, e.g. pas de bourrée . A tombé en a…
Tours en l'air
/tuʁz ɑ̃ l ɛːʁ/( ; literally 'turn in the air.') A jump, typically done by males, with a full rotation in the air. The landing can be on both feet, on one …
Triple Runs
One big step, followed by two little steps, that can be done in a circle.
Turnout
Rotation of the legs at the hips, resulting in knees and feet facing away from each other.
Tutu
A classic ballet skirt, typically flat at the waist or hip level, made of several layers of tulle or tarlatan.
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Definitions adapted from the Wikipedia article “Glossary of ballet” (CC BY-SA 4.0).