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Dance Terms |
| Many of you have e-mailed me asking what this or that means, so to save me some time from answering you all indivdually, here are some dance terms I have ran across from various historic sources, as dance terms mean different things from country to country, dance to dance and different eras in time. Hope this helps. (Use your browser's Back button to return to your page) | |
Term |
Definition |
Date |
Type |
| Adagio (Adage) | Steps/ Combinations done to slow music. Ballet Exercises, Pas De deux,
can be acrobatic in nature, done before Allegro. |
1600 | Italian |
| Allegro | Steps/ Conbinations done to fast music. Or a part which follows Adagio. | 1600? | Italian |
| Allonge | an Elongated Line, refers to Arabesque (arm and body stretched forward). | - | Italian |
| Assiete | Posture. | 1600s | Freanch |
| bei trotti | Light footed leaps. | 1500s | Italian |
| Branle | 15th century dance . | 1600s | French |
| Cabriola | same as Capriole. | 1600s | Spanish |
| Cadence | High leap with final position. | 1600s | French |
| Cambio | one foot forward (4th position) the other crosses touching from outside the heel of the first, the first foot moves back. (same as scambiata) | 1600s | Italian |
| Capriole | High leap from bend (plie) with movemnet in the air indicating next poition. | 1600s | French |
| Cong é | Branle. | 1600s | French |
| Continenza | Stamping of feet from time to time (continenze & rimesse). | 1400s | Italian |
| Contre Tems | Sprung Movement with out a change of weight, a rise. | - | - |
| Contre Temps | same as contre tems except a landing rather than a rise. | - | - |
| Conversion | reversal at the end of the hall, Man forwar, lady backwards untill turn is completed. | 1600s | French |
| Cruzado | same as pied croise'. | 1600s | Spanish |
| Decoupement | diminution of the double step. | 1600s | French |
| Demarche | - | 1400s | French |
| Demisemi | 1/32 of a whole note, smallest rhythmic unit of notation | 1800 | British |
| Entretaille | a lifting of the foot, (pied en l'air), with the weight bearing leg moves or skips sidewise to the place of the lifted leg. | 1600s | French |
| Fioretti | Lightning Fast Turns (Galliard). | 1500s | Italian |
| Fioretto | same as Fleuret. | 1600s | Italian |
| Fleuret | a brief lifting of each foot on the upbeat with a forward thrust of the first on the downbeat | 1600s | French |
| Floreta | Same as fleuret. | 1600s | Spanish |
| Grue (aka: crane) | a simple thrust forward of the foot or a modified "old leg thrust", or walk of the crane (the bird). | 1600s | French |
| Hachure | decoupement. | 1600s | French |
| Les Cing pas | Five thrusting steps (Cing pas and Galliard). | 1400s | Italian |
| Marque pied | drawing up of the toes of the free foot to the standing foot. | 1600s | French |
| Marque Talon | drawing up of the heel of the free foot to the standing foot. | 1600s | French |
| Pas | Passing foot to one of thr five basic foot positions. | 1600s | French |
| Pas Croise | "the lifted leg crosses the calf of the standing leg almost as in the hungarian folk dance. | 1600s | French |
| Pas de Bourée desus | Alternating feet step front demi-pointe, side demi-pointe, back demi plié, pointing free foot a la seconde. | n/a | French |
| Pas de Chacone | 4 beat step starting in fourth position with left foot forward. 1st- left foot swings to fourth in front of right, 2) 1/4 turn to right and skip to right while flinging left foot in air, 3) left goes in to 5th position, 4) Right foot is flung very high with a full body turn. | 1600s | Spanish |
| Pas De Deux | Couples steps, Danced by the Balerina and her partner. | 1500s | Italian |
| Pas Marches | Walking steps on demi-point. | ||
| Pas Simple | Group of simple steps with the first step accented. | 1600s | French |
| Passo | is a simple step which in the 5th century was called sempio. | 1600s | Italian |
| Passo Doppio | - | 1600s | Italian |
| Pas Double | - | 1400s | French |
| Passo e Mezzo | a step and a half. | 1600s | Italian |
| passo Puntato | grue, (same as puntata). | 1600s | Italian |
| Pied Joints | the feet at right angles with the equal division of weight (1st position). | 1600s | French |
| Pied Joints Oblique | same as Pied Joints except the equal division of weight. (second position). | 1600s | French |
| Peids Largis | legs spread with equal division of weight (second position). | 1600s | French |
| Peids Largis Oblique | Legs spread but uneqaul weight division. | 1600s | French |
| Pochettes | Musical Instrument used by dancing master, small enough to fit in pocket for travel. | 1600s | France |
| Position, Posture | Position with one leg placed forward (later 4th position). | 1600s | French |
| Puente | Arch, Bridge. | 1600s | Spanish |
| Puntata | same as a grue, (same as Paso Puntato). | 1600s | Italian |
| Puntapie | same as Grue. | 1600s | Spanish |
| Quaver | a musical Eighth Note. | 1800? | British |
| Represa | balance, side step with continenza. | 1600s | Italian |
| Reprise | in contrast to the reprise of the 15th century (movimento). | 1400s | French |
| Reverence | the free leg is moved from the fourth position behind the standing leg; the lady curtsies slightly with both knees. | 1600s | French |
| Riverenza | same as Reverence. | 1600s | Italian |
| Rompido | Pas Double. | 1600s | Spanish |
| Ruade | thrust of the leg to the rear. | 1600s | French |
| Ru de vache | Thrust of leg to side. | 1600s | French |
| Saut majeur | high leap for which time is allowed. | 1600s | French |
| Saut mineur | Skip for which no time is allowed. | 1600s | French |
| Scambiata | see cambio. | 1600s | Italian |
| sempio | see passo. | 1400s | Italian |
| Sequito | the basic of all sequito movements=a swing of the leg. This has several distinctions. | 1600s | Italian |
| Sequito grave | the forward swing of each leg followed by a half step. | 1600s | Italian |
| sequito grave a tordiglione | the forward, sideward, and backward swing of the leg, that is, the combination of the grue, ru de vache and the ruade. Each leg takes 1/4 beat. | 1600s | Italian |
| Sequito ordinario | Forward swing followed by sequito spezzato. | 1600s | Italian |
| Sequito Spezzato | Swing of the leg done on a whole beat. | 1600s | Italian |
| Sustenido | Standing on the toe. | 1600s | Spanish |
| Tordian | Turning Movement. | 1500s | Italian |
| Trabocchetto | the one foot is placed to the side and the other follows with a swing. | 1600s | Italian |
| Trabochetto grave | Trabocchetto, done on the half note. | 1600s | Italian |
| Trabochetto minimo | Trabocchetto, done on a quarter note. | 1600s | Italian |
| Vacio | Pas Simple. | 1600s | Spanish |
Some Ballet Terms |
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| a reverence (a bow or curtsey) | Emboités (Jump with legs changing positions in air) | Relevé [elevate] (re-lifted to point or from plie') | |
| a terre (On the ground or down ) | en bas (low) | retiré (withdrawn) | |
| Aplomb (Ability to Hold Ones Balnace) | en cloche (like a bell) | retombé (falling back to original pos.) | |
| Arabesque (pose w/leg extended) | en croix (in a cross) | Révérence (Bow or curtsey) | |
| Aux Coins (Set to corners) | |||
| Balancoire(Body pendulum type leg swing) | en dedans (turn inward) | revue(no plot or story, just dance) | |
| ballon (floating,ability to remain in air) | en dehors (turn outward) | rond de [ronde] (circling, Motion) | |
| Ballonne (bounding step w/round movement) | Entrechat (interweaving) | rond de jambe (circling of the leg) | |
| Ballotté (Rocking Step) | etendu (recovery) | saute (leaping) | |
| Battement (a beating) | fermé (closed) | Sissonne Fermé (traveling leap from both feet to fifth). | |
| Batterie (feet beating together) | fondu (flexed supporting leg) | sur les pointes (tips of toes) | |
| Batu (Beat introduced step) | Frappé (struck) | temps (tempo or time) | |
| Beat (Legs beating together in air) | glissade (s) (gliding step) | temps lie (connected movement) | |
| Brise (Broken Movement, beat ) | grand (large) | tendu (tension-stretched) | |
| Brise Volé (Flying Brise) | Grand Fouette [turn] (great whipping motion-leg) | tournant (turning) | |
| Cabriole (beat, at angle to floor) | Grand Plié (deep flexing) | Traverse (Opposite persons change places) | |
| Chassé [sha-shay] (Ballet)
(A spring from both feet, landing on one, other slides to open position) |
jeté [ghe-tay] (leap) | ||
| la barre (at the bar) | Other |
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| Chassé croisé (go to places, passing partner). | La Poul | sortie du bal (commonly called an opera-cloak) | |
| Le Moulinet (Hands Across) | |||
| cou-de-pied (neck of foot) | pas de chat (step of the cat) | ||
| Degage (disengaged) | Pas Grave (to give both hands) | ||
| demi-plié (half flex) | passé (pass) | ||
| demi-tours (half turns) | Petit (small) | ||
| derriere (back) | Piqué [P-K, means Pick] stepping directly on point of Foot | ||
| Dessus [Over] (Working foot passes in front of the supporting one) | Plié [plea-a] (flexed, pliable) | ||
| devant (front) | Port de bras (carriage of arms) | ||
| Developpé (folded or unfolded) | |||
All historic styles and forms of dance had ratings when performed and would be reported as follows. |
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| 1) Grotesque: Lowest degree was called "Grotesque". Which meant the dancer was unsteady, movements were imposing while demanding -- all skill rather than gracefulness. |
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| 2) Comic: The second degree was called "Comic". Generally steadier than the first, representing the customs, pastimes, or romances of the lower classes. |
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| 3) Demi-caractere: The third degree was called "Demi-caractere". This class exemplified affairs of ordinary life such as a love story or plot, representing the common people. |
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| 4) Serious: The fourth degree was called "Serious" dances. These were usually found upon the tragic staging. Represented the highest possible degree of skill and elegance. |
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| 5)
Pantomimic:
The fifth degree was known as "Pantomimic" or "Ballet". These acts conveyed the entire act thru dance (no words). |
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| Greek: Dances may be divided and subdivided ad infinitum, specifying three technical varieties, Remembering that all the dances were religious: | |||
| 1) Kubistic, including leaping and acrobatic feats. | |||
| 2) Spheristic, rhythmical movements accompanying ball-throwing. | |||
| 3) Orchestic, or dancing proper. | |||
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