A

À la seconde

To the side or in the second position. À la seconde usually means a step that moves sideways or a movement done to the side such as grand battement à la seconde. A technically challenging type of turn is pirouette à la seconde, where the dancer spins with the working leg in second position à la hauteur. This turn is usually performed by male dancers, and because of the advanced skills required to perform it correctly, it is seen as the male counterpart of fouettés en tournant.

Adagio

ADAGE (French, Gallicism from the Italian original), ADAGIO (Italian). From the Italian combination of the preposition A + AGIO (noun) with a D in between the two As for phonetic reasons (and elision): ad agio → adagio (literally, at ease). In song, Adagio means "slowly", and in ballet it means slow, enfolding movements. In a classical ballet class, the Adagio portion of the lesson concentrates on slow movements to improve the dancer's ability to control the leg and increase extension (i.e., to bring the leg into high positions with control and ease). In a Grand Pas (or Classical Pas de deux, Grand Pas d'action, etc.), the Adagio is usually referred to as the Grand adage, and often follows the Entrée. This Adage is typically the outward movement of the Grand Pas where the female dancer is partnered by the lead male dancer and/or one or more suitors. In ballet, the word adagio does not refer to the music accompanying the dance but rather the type of balletic movement being performed. For example, the Grand adage of the famous Black Swan Pas de deux from Swan Lake is musically an Andante, while the choreography is Adagio.

Allegro

Meaning brisk, lively. A term applied to all bright, fast, or brisk movements. All steps of elevation such as the entrechat, cabriole, assemblé, jeté and so on, come under this classification. The majority of dances, both solo and group, are built on allegro. The most important qualities to aim at in allégro are lightness, smoothness and ballon.

Allongé

Adjective describing a position as stretched out or made longer, often used with arabesque.

Aplomb

Aplomb refers to stability of the position.

Arabesque

Main article: Arabesque (ballet position)

Arabesque is the position of the body supported on one leg, with the other leg extended behind the body with the knee straight.

Assemblé

French pronunciation: [asɑ̃ble] Sometimes also pas assemblé. Literally "assembled". A jump which is launched from one foot and landed on both feet, where the first foot performs a battement glissé/degagé, "swishing" out. With the dancer launching into a jump, the second foot then swishes up under the first foot. The feet meet together in mid-air, and the dancer lands with both feet on the floor at the same time, in third or fifth position.

Attitude

Natalia Dudinskaya in attitude en pointeA position in which the dancer stands on one leg (known as the supporting leg) while the other leg (working leg) is lifted and well turned out with the knee bent at approximately 90-degree angle. The lifted or working leg can be behind (derrière), in front (devant), or on the side (à la seconde) of the body. If the leg in attitude derrière is resting on the floor, then the pose is known as B-plus. In some styles of ballet, such as RAD, the foot should be below the knee, creating an obtuse angle at the knee. In others, such as the Balanchine and Russian styles, the foot must be in line with the knee or above it, creating an angle that is 90-degrees or less. The attitude position can be performed with the supporting leg and foot either en pointe, demi pointe or on a flat foot. See also: Arabesque.

Avant

"Forwards", to the front, as opposed to arrière.For example, a step travelling en avant moves forwards, towards the audience, e.g. sissonne en avant.

B

Balancé

It is usually executed in three counts The dancer typically begins in fifth position, in plié. Before the first count, one foot extends in a degagé, typically to second position however balancé devant or derrière are also possible. Balancé is often confused with pas de valse, a waltz step. However, when doing a balancé the three steps make a "down, up, down" motion (fondu, relevé, fondu), whereas in pas de valse, a true waltz, the motion is "down, up, up" (fondu, relevé, relevé).

Ballabile

Ballabile (from the Italian Ballabile meaning "danceable") In ballet the term refers to a dance performed by the corps de ballet. The term Grand ballabile is used if nearly all participants (including principal characters) of a particular scene in a full-length work perform a large-scale dance.

Ballerina

Italian for "female dancer". Ballerina is a principal female dancer of a ballet company who is also very accomplished in the international world of ballet, especially beyond her own company. Most female dancers who dance ballet are called (female) ballet dancers. Ballerina, therefore, is a critical accolade bestowed on very few female dancers, somewhat similar to the title diva in opera. The male version of this term is danseur noble (French).

In the original Italian, the terms ballerino (a male dancer, usually in ballet) and ballerina do NOT imply the accomplished and critically acclaimed dancers denoted by the terms ballerina and danseur noble when used in English. They simply mean (ballet) dancer (ballerino/ballerina) in Italian. Other terms in Italian that convey an accomplished female ballet dancer are prima ballerina and prima ballerina assoluta (however the term étoile is used at the Scala ballet company in Milan). Danzatore (male) and danzatrice (female) are general terms in Italian to signifiy dancers.

Ballerino

Used in Italian for "male dancer". A Ballerino is a male dancer of a ballet company in Italy. He is referred to as a "danseur" in a ballet company in France. These terms are rarely used in English. Since ballerino is not used in English, it does not enjoy the same connotation as ballerina (see above for a detailed explanation of these terms). A regular male dancer in Italy is called a danzatore, while ballerino usually denotes a male ballet dancer in Italy. In the English speaking world, boys or men who dance classical ballet are referred to as (male) ballet dancers.

Balletomane

A ballet fan or enthusiast. The word was invented in Russia in the early nineteenth century.

Ballon

Main article: Ballon (ballet)

Ballon means to bounce, where the dancer can show the lightness of the movement. It describes a quality, not the elevation or height, of the jump. Even in small, quick jumps (petite allégro), dancers strive to exhibit ballon. A dancer exhibiting ballon would spring off the floor and appear to pause mid-air before landing.

Barre

Main article: Barre (ballet)

Exercising at a portable barre. A fixed barre can be seen in the background.A horizontal bar, approximately waist height, typically made of wood or metal, that used for ballet warm-up exercises. Ballet classes commonly begin at the barre, and consist of half their total class time at the barre. Fixed barres are typically mounted along mirror-covered walls. There are also portable barres that can be relocated as needed.

Battement

A kicking movement of the working leg (i.e. the leg that is performing a technique). Battements are usually executed in front (en avant or à la quatrieme devant), to the side (à la seconde) or back (en arrière or à la quatrieme derrière).

battement développé is usually a slow battement in which the leg is first lifted to retiré position, then fully extended (or "unfolded") passing through attitude position.

battement fondu is a battement (usually slower) from a fondu (both knees bent, working foot on the cou-de-pied of the supporting leg) position and extends until both legs are straight. The working leg can end up on the floor (a terre) or off the floor (en l'air). It can be executed double.

battement frappé is a battement where the foot moves from a flexed or 'cou-de-pied' position next to the ankle of the supporting leg, and extends out to a straight position quickly and forcefully, and by doing so hitting the floor (the so-called frappé). In the Russian school the foot is wrapped around the ankle, rather than flexed and does not strike the floor. In this case, the frappé is given by the working foot striking the ankle of the supporting leg. Battements frappés can be executed double, with beats alternating front and back of the standing leg's ankle before striking out.

battement glissé (French school) or "dégagé" (Italian School) or "jeté" (Russian school) is a rapid battement normally taken to 2-3 centimeters off the floor (literally means a "gliding" battement). See battement tendu jeté. Typically, on this exercise, the accent of the movement with the downbeat of the music is on the closing in of the feet, as opposed to the extending of the leg.

battement lent is a slow battement, normally taken as high as possible, which involves considerable control and strength. Both legs remain straight for the whole duration of the movement.

battement tendu is a battement where the extended foot never leaves the floor. The working foot slides forward or sidewaysor backwards from the fifth or first position to reach the forth or second position, lifting the heel off the floor and stretching the instep. It forms the preparation for many other positions, such as the ronds de jambe and pirouette positions.

battement tendu jeté (Russian school) is a battement normally taken to anywhere from 2 cm off the floor up to 45 degrees, depending on the style. It is the same as battement dégagé (Cecchetti) or battement glissé (French school).

grand battement is a powerful battement action where the dancer brushes and kicks the leg as high as possible, keeping it straight, while the supporting leg also remains straight.

grand battement en cloche is a grand battement which continuously "swishes" forwards and backwards passing through the first position of the feet (literally: large battement with pendulum movement).

petit battement is a battement action where the bending action is at the knee, while the upper leg and thigh remain still. The working foot quickly alternates from the cou-de-pied position in the front to the cou-de-pied position in the back, slightly opening to the side.

Batterie

A whole family of techniques and steps involving turns and jumps, where the feet cross quickly in front and behind each other, creating a flapping or "beating" effect and brushing through first position.

Also called beats in the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) syllabus.

Brisé