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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/ Combinations 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. |
1600's |
French |
| bei trotti |
Light footed leaps. |
1500's |
Italian |
| Branle |
15th century dance. |
1600's |
French |
| Cabriola |
same as Capriole. |
1600's |
Spanish |
| Cadence |
High leap with final position. |
1600's |
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) |
1600's |
Italian |
| Capriole |
High leap from bend (plié) with movement in the air indicating next position. |
1600's |
French |
| Congé |
Branle. |
1600's |
French |
| Continents |
Stamping of feet from time to time (continence & rimes se). |
1400's |
Italian |
| Contre Items |
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 forward, lady backwards until turn is completed. |
1600's |
French |
| Cruzado |
same as pied croise'. |
1600's |
Spanish |
| Decoupement |
diminution of the double step. |
1600's |
French |
| Demarche |
?? |
1400's |
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. |
1600's |
French |
| Fioretti |
Lightning Fast Turns (Galliard). |
1500's |
Italian |
| Fioretto |
same as Fleuret. |
1600's |
Italian |
| Fleuret |
a brief lifting of each foot on the upbeat with a forward thrust of the first on the downbeat |
1600's |
French |
| Floreta |
Same as fleuret. |
1600's |
Spanish |
| Grue (aka: crane) |
a simple thrust forward of the foot or a modified "old leg thrust", or walk of the crane (the bird). |
1600's |
French |
| Hachure |
decoupement. |
1600's |
French |
| Les Cing pas |
Five thrusting steps (Cing pas and Galliard). |
1400's |
Italian |
| Marque pied |
drawing up of the toes of the free foot to the standing foot. |
1600's |
French |
| Marque Talon |
drawing up of the heel of the free foot to the standing foot. |
1600's |
French |
| Pas |
Passing foot to one of the five basic foot positions. |
1600's |
French |
| Pas Croise |
"the lifted leg crosses the calf of the standing leg almost as in the Hungarian folk dance. |
1600's |
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. |
1600's |
Spanish |
| Pas De Deux |
Couples steps, Danced by the Balerina and her partner. |
1500's |
Italian |
| Pas Marches |
Walking steps on demi-point. |
|
|
| Pas Simple |
Group of simple steps with the first step accented. |
1600's |
French |
| Passo |
is a simple step which in the 5th century was called sempio. |
1600's |
Italian |
| Passo Doppio |
?? |
1600's |
Italian |
| Pas Double |
?? |
1400's |
French |
| Passo e Mezzo |
a step and a half. |
1600's |
Italian |
| passo Puntato |
grue, (same as puntata.) |
1600's |
Italian |
| Pied Joints |
the feet at right angles with the equal division of weight (1st position.) |
1600's |
French |
| Pied Joints Oblique |
same as Pied Joints except the equal division of weight. (second position.) |
1600's |
French |
| Peids Largis |
legs spread with equal division of weight (second position.) |
1600's |
French |
| Peids Largis Oblique |
Legs spread but unequal weight division. |
1600's |
French |
| Pochettes |
Musical Instrument used by dancing master, small enough to fit in pocket for travel. |
1600's |
France |
| Position, Posture |
Position with one leg placed forward (later 4th position.) |
1600's |
French |
| Puente |
Arch, Bridge. |
1600's |
Spanish |
| Puntata |
same as a grue, (same as Paso Puntato.) |
1600's |
Italian |
| Puntapie |
same as Grue. |
1600's |
Spanish |
| Quaver |
a musical Eighth Note. |
1800? |
British |
| Represa |
balance, side step with continenza. |
1600's |
Italian |
| Reprise |
in contrast to the reprise of the 15th century (movimento.) |
1400's |
French |
| Reverence |
the free leg is moved from the fourth position behind the standing leg; the lady curtsies slightly with both knees. |
1600's |
French |
| Riverenza |
same as Reverence. |
1600's |
Italian |
| Rompido |
Pas Double. |
1600's |
Spanish |
| Ruade |
thrust of the leg to the rear. |
1600's |
French |
| Ru de vache |
Thrust of leg to side. |
1600's |
French |
| Saut majeur |
high leap for which time is allowed. |
1600's |
French |
| Saut mineur |
Skip for which no time is allowed. |
1600's |
French |
| Scambiata |
see cambio. |
1600's |
Italian |
| sempio |
see passo. |
1400's |
Italian |
| Sequito |
the basic of all sequito movements=a swing of the leg. This has several distinctions. |
1600's |
Italian |
| Sequito grave |
the forward swing of each leg followed by a half step. |
1600's |
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. |
1600's |
Italian |
| Sequito ordinario |
Forward swing followed by sequito spezzato. |
1600's |
Italian |
| Sequito Spezzato |
Swing of the leg done on a whole beat. |
1600's |
Italian |
| Sustenido |
Standing on the toe. |
1600's |
Spanish |
| Tordian |
Turning Movement. |
1500's |
Italian |
| Trabocchetto |
the one foot is placed to the side and the other follows with a swing. |
1600's |
Italian |
| Trabochetto grave |
Trabocchetto, done on the half note. |
1600's |
Italian |
| Trabochetto minimo |
Trabocchetto, done on a quarter note. |
1600's |
Italian |
| Vacio |
Pas Simple. |
1600's |
Spanish |
Some Vintage Ballet Dance Terms |
| a reverence (a bow or curtsey) |
Emboités (Jump with legs changing positions in air) |
Relevé [elevate] (re-lifted to point or from plié') |
| a Terre (On the ground or down ) |
en bas (low) |
retiré (withdrawn, remove) |
| Aplomb (Ability to Hold Ones Balance) |
en cloche (like a bell) |
retombé (falling back to original position) |
| Arabesque (pose w/leg extended) |
en croix (in a cross) |
Révérence (a 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 |
| 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. |
|
1) Grotesque:
Lowest degree was called "Grotesque." Which meant the dancer was unsteady, movements were imposing while demanding -- all skill rather than gracefulness. |
2) Comic:
The second degree was called "Comic." Generally steadier than the first, representing the customs, pastimes, or romances of the lower classes. |
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. |
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. |
5) Pantomimic:
The fifth degree was known as "Pantomimic" or "Ballet." These acts conveyed the entire act thru dance (no words). |
| 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. |
Burlesque