BALLET II VOCABULARY LIST

la seconde: in the 2nd position. A movement in which the arm or leg is extended to the side
of the body is said to be performed la second.
Adagio: slow, sustained movement.
Allegro, grand: combinations of expansive and widely traveled jumping movements that
incorporate large, advanced-level leaps such as grand jets.
Allegro, petit: sprightly combinations of small jumping movements performed at quick tempo.
Allong: to elongate. extended, outstretched, as opposed to bent or curved.
Arabesque: the position of the body when supported on one leg with the other extended to the
back with the knee straight.
Assembl: to assemble. Small jump from one foot to two feet.
Attitude: the position of the body when supported on one leg with the other lifted to the front,
the side, or the back, with the knee bent.
Battement: to beat. Interval.
Balanc: Rocking step. This step is very ! much like a pas de valse and is ! an alternation of
balance, ! shifting the weight from one ! foot to the other. ! Balanc may be done ! crossing the foot
either front ! or back.
Balanoire: Literally, Like a see-saw. Used to describe the swinging of the working leg
forward and backward through 1st position, as in grands battements en balanoire.
Ballonn: Ball-like or bouncing step. ! A 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 !
retir.
Battu: Beaten. Any step embellished ! with a beat is called a pas ! battu. As, for example, in ! jet !
battu
Bourre: Tiny traveling steps done on pointe or demi-pointe.
Cabriole: An allegro step in ! which the extended legs are ! beaten in the air. The working leg ! is
thrust into the air, the ! underneath leg follows and ! beats against the first leg, ! sending it higher.
The ! landing is then made on the ! underneath leg.
Cambr: a bend of the body from the waist, forward, sideward, or backward.
Chan: chains. A series of rapid turns on pointe or demi pointe done in a straight line or in a
circle.
Changement: Change of feet. Changements are ! springing steps in the fifth ! position, the dancer !
changing feet in the air and ! landing in the fifth ! position with the opposite ! foot in the front.
Chass: to chase A step in which one ! foot literally chases the ! other foot out of its ! position;
done in a ! series.
Cloche (aka dgag en cloche): like a bell. Refers to swinging movements of the working leg
forward and backward through the 1st position in steps such as dgag en cloche.
Ct, de: Traveling to the side.
Coup: to cut
Crois: crossed. Refers to a direction of the body in which the legs of the dancer appear, from
the audiences viewpoint, to be crossed one in front of the other.
Dgag (aka battement dgag): disengage Movement in which the dancer performs the
same action of a tendu and continues until the foot is disengaged from the floor.
Demi: Half.
Derrire: to the back.
Dtourn: a turn on two legs that exchanges the position of the feet.
Devant: to the front.
Dvelopp: to develop. Developing the leg until it is straight.
cart: one of the nine directions of the body, in which the dancers legs are in 2nd position with
the body placed diagonally in relationship to the audience.
Echapp: to escape A ! level opening of both feet ! from a closed to an open ! position.
Effac: one of the nine directions of the body, in which the dancers legs appear open in
relationship to each other from the audiences point of view.
Embot: fitted together Jumps with a light, bouncy quality in which the body is transferred
en lair from a pose on one leg to a pose on the other. They can be performed with the extended
leg terre, lifted to 45 or 90, or in cou-de-pied or attitude.
En avant: traveling forward
En bas: used to refer to any position in which the arms are held at hip level, as in 5th position en
bas.
En croix: in the shape of a cross. Refers to a ballet convention in which the same movement is
performed in a sequence to the front, the side, the back, and again to the same side.
En dedans: Inward. Characterizes any circular or turning movement in which the working leg
moves, or the body turns, toward the supporting leg.
En dehors: Outward. Characterizes any circular or turning movement in which the working leg
moves, or the body turns, away from the supporting leg.
En face: Refers to the position of a dancers body when directly facing the audience.
En lair: in the air. Used to indicate that one or both feet are off the floor.
Entrechat Quatre: A beaten jump in which the legs cross in 5th position in the air and land
without changing the starting position of the feet.
Entrechat Trois: A beaten jump in which the legs cross in 5th position in the air and land with
the front leg landing in cou de pied derrire.
Entrelac: interlaced. A ! term of the Russian School. ! This jet is done in ! all directions and in a !
circle.
Envelopp: to fold in
paulement: shouldering. Refers to the manner in which a dancer slightly twists the torso
when facing straight ahead, bringing one shoulder forward of the other.
Failli: A passing step.
Ferm: closed
Fondu: to melt On or with a bent supporting leg.
Fouett: to whip 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.
Frapp (aka battement frapp): to strike Beginning in coup, then striking the floor with the
ball of the foot while straightening the leg from the front, side, or back.
Glissade: to glide. A traveling step ! executed by gliding the ! working foot from the ! fifth
position in the ! required direction, the ! other foot closing to it.
Grand: Big.
Jet (Petit or Grande): Throwing step. A jump from one leg to the other in which the working
leg is brushed into the air and appears to have been thrown.
Ouvert: open. The legs are apart from each other, or open.
Par terre: on or along the floor. The foot is connected to the floor during the movement.
Pas de bourr: step of little steps
Pas de Basque: step of Basque people
Pas de chat: step of the cat
Pas de cheval: step of the horse
Pas de valse: Waltz step. Done with a ! graceful swaying of the body ! with various arm
movements.
Pass: to pass. The position of the working leg when the big toe is gently on the knee of the
standing leg.
Penche: Inclined. Usually refers to arabesque penche, a position in which the dancer tilts
forward from the hip, directing the torso and head toward the floor, and lifting the foot of the
extended back leg up toward the ceiling.
Petit: small. A term describing small movements that are not performed high in the air.
Piqu: to prick 1: A movement in which the strongly pointed toe of the lifted and extended leg
sharply lowers momentarily to hit the floor, then immediately rebounds upwards. 2: adjective
describing a movement in which the dancer transfers the body weight from one leg to the other
by stepping out directly onto pointe or demi-pointe with a straight leg.
Pirouette: a turn on one leg on demi-pointe or pointe in any pose.
Pli: to bend.
Port de Bras: movements or positions of the arms.
Promenade: A slow rotation of the body in adagio exercises, in which the dancer, maintaining a
pose on one leg with the other raised off the ground, executes many little pivots of the supporting
heel in order the turn the body around on the whole foot.
Rond de Jambe: round of the leg. The working leg makes a half circle, traveling en dedans or
en dehors.
Royale: A changement in ! which the calves are beaten ! together before the feet ! change position.
Also ! termed "changement ! battu."
Saut de basque: A ! traveling step in which the ! dancer turns in the air with ! one foot drawn up to
the ! knee of the other leg.
Saut: to jump.
Sissonne: a jump from both feet to one foot.
Sous-sus: relev 5th in which the audience can see one set of toes, but two heels.
Soutenu: to support. To draw one leg evenly to the other one in place with a half or whole
turn, inward or outward.
Sur le cou de pied: on the neck of the foot. The working foot is placed on the part of the leg
between the base of the calf and the beginning of the ankle.
Temps lev: raised step. A simple jump from one foot to the same foot.
Temps li: connected movement. To transfer the weight of the body from one leg to the other
front, side or back.
Tendu (also known as battement tendu): to stretch or over stretched. Pointing the foot
with a straight leg par terre to the front, side, or back.
Tomb: to fall. To fall with all your weight onto the opposite leg.