Glossary of Fundamental Ballet Terms
plié (plee-ay): to bend. Keeping both feet flat on the floor at all times, bend
your knees. Remember to send your knees directly out over your toes!
relevé (ruh-leh-vay’): to rise. This can be done on one foot or both feet
together. Start with the feet together, keep the knees straight and lift the heels
high enough so all of your body weight is on the balls of the feet – NOT the
tips of your toes. Repeat this on one foot.
Tendu (Tahn-doo): tight or stretched: A tendu is a step in ballet which
involves moving from first (or fifth) position through demi pointe to a fully
extended leg with the foot pointed. Keeping your foot mainly on the ground.
Chassé (sha- say) to chase: one of a series of gliding steps in ballet in which the
same foot always leads. three consecutive dance steps, two fast and one slow, to four
beats of music.
Pas de bourrée: “Step of the drunk.” A rapid move that begins in a
demi-plié. The first leg extends sideways to meet the other leg in front
or behind before returning to the original position.
Port de bras: “Movement of the arms.” The passage of the arms from
one position to another.
Relevé: “Raised.” A movement in which the dancer starts in a demi-
plié and then rises up to pointe or demi-pointe on one foot or both feet.
Rond de jambe: “Round of the leg.” A circular movement of the leg,
either clockwise or counterclockwise with the working leg either in the
air or with a foot touching the floor.
Second position: The feet turn outward in a straight line, separated
by about a distance of one foot.
Third position: The feet are turned outward with the heels placed
together, one in front of the other.
Passé: “Passed.” A passing movement, in which one foot passes in
back or in front of the knee of the supporting leg, or one leg passes
the other in the air.
Petit saut: A small jump.
Adagio: “Slow tempo.” In ballet, a tempo in which the dancer moves
slowly and gracefully.
À la seconde: “To the second position” or “to the side,” as in plié à la
seconde or grand battement à la seconde.
À terre: "On the ground," indicates a movement.
Allegro: “Brisk tempo.” In ballet, a tempo in which the dancer moves
briskly and excitedly.
Allongé: “Elongated.” An adjective used to describe poses that are
stretched and elongated, like an arabesque.
Arabesque: A pose in which the dancer stands on one leg—either
straight or demi-plié, and either flat-footed or en pointe—while
extending the other leg straight behind at a right angle. The shoulders
are square with the arms held to create a long line from fingertips to
toes.
Arriére: "Backwards." A move that indicates backwards movement or
motion.
Attitude: A pose in which the dancer stands straight on one leg with
the other leg lifted in back or front and bent at 90 degrees. The arm on
the side of the raised leg is curved over the head, and the other arm is
held to the side.
En seconde: “In second.” A movement in the second position.
En dedans: "Inward." A move when the leg moves circularly counter-
clockwise, or "inward." This can be done on the floor (à terre) or in
the air (en l’air).
En dehors: "Outside." A move when the leg moves circularly
clockwise, or "outward." This can be done on the floor (à terre) or in
the air (en l’air).
Fifth position: The feet turn outward, one foot directly in front of the
other with the first joint of each big toe extending past each heel.
First position: The heels stay together, and the feet turn outward in a
straight line.
. Fondu: “Sinking down.” A one-legged version of a plié.
Fouetté: “Whipped.” A whipping movement. It can refer to one foot
whipping in front of or behind the other foot, or when the body whips
around from one direction to another.
Fourth position: The feet turn outward with one foot in front of the
other, parallel and separated by about a foot. The big toe of each foot
should align with the heel of the other.
Pas de basque: “Basque step.” The dancer stands in fifth position,
then executes a plié with the back leg. Extending the front leg in a
tendu, the dancer moves the front leg in a circular movement around
to the back. They then transfer the weight to the working leg and finish
in fifth position.
Prepared by
HELEN GRACE D.LOPEZ
ISPEAR, FACULTY
