Because ballet became formalized in France, A significant part of the ballet terminology is in the French language.
Because French is not an easy language, we sometimes battle to remember what the ballet terms definitions mean. Some of the ballet terms definitions will have links so that you can read more about the steps.
Here is a list of all the more popular ballet terms definitions.
A
A la seconde – The working leg is held to the side of the body in 2nd position
A la Quatrieme – One of the directions of the body, facing the audience (en face), arms in second position, with one leg extended either to fourth position in front (quatrième devant) or fourth position behind (quatrième derrière).
A terre – touching the floor
Adage – Slow controlled movements of balance same as Adagio
Adagio – Slow movements performed with grace and fluidity
Allegro – Lively, fast or brisk, normally used in airborne movements or steps of elevation
Allonge – Stretched out or made longer.
Aplomb – Elegance, confidence.
Arabesque – Dancer stands on one leg with the other leg out behind the body held straight. Long lines are shown from the finger tips to the tip of the extended toe
Arriere – moving backwards
Assemble – To assemble. A jump where the legs meet together in the air before landing
A Terre – Touching the floor
Attitude – Dancer stands on one leg and the other is up bent at 90 degrees, either to the front, back or side
Avant – Forwards or front
B
Balance – To rock. The dancer will alternate their weight from foot to foot
Ballerina – Used to be a title given to the principal dancer in the company
Ballet – Classical style of expressive dancing with gestures and movements of grace and fluidity
Balletomane – Someone who loves ballet
Ballet Barre Stretches – A series of stretches done at the barre
Ballon – Bounce
Battement Tendu – Stretched beating
Barre – A wooden bar attached to the wall that dancers use to strengthen their work and warm up on
Battement – Beating
Battement Fondu – Bending exercise at the bar where both legs bend and stretch together.
Battement Frappe – To strike or knock
Brise – Broken or breaking. It is a jump and the working leg brushes to the second position and meets the other leg in front of or behind in the air. Finally both feet land in fifth position. This is similar to an assemblé but traveling
C
Cambre – Arched. Usually bending and stretching to the front, side or back, or in a circular motion.Corps de Ballet – Ballet dancers who dance in a group
Corps de Ballet – Ballet dancers who dance in a group
Chaines – Chains or links. Usually a series of turns
Changement – Change of feet. Normally happens in a jump where the feet are changed in the air
Coupe – To Cut
Cote – Sideways
Couru – Running sideways
Croise – Crossed
D
Dedans – Inwards
Degage – Disengage. The dancer moves her leg away from the supporting leg with foot pointed on the floor and leg stretched
Dehors – Outwards
Demi – Half
Derriere – Behind or Back
Dessous – Under
Dessus – Over
Deux – Two
Devant – Front
Developpe – To unfold
Diagonale – Diagonal
E
Ecarte – Separated or thrown wide apart. Normally an open line facing a corner with the leg pointed in second and the front arm lifted with head turned to front corner
Echappe – To escape
Efface – Shaded
Entrechat – Interweaving or braiding
Epaulement – Position of the shoulders
F
Fondu – Bend one leg or melting
Frappe – Struck. The foot strikes the floor as it extends out
Fouette – Whipped. Describes the quick whipping action of the dancers leg
Flic-Flac – Crack of a whip. It describes a ballet dancer “flicking” a foot on the ground and around the standing leg, then another quick hit of the floor to arrive in a coupe position
G
Gargouillade – Rumbling. A dancer points one leg to the side, then doing a small rond de jambe with that leg while pushing off the floor with the other leg and then doing a rond de jambe with that leg
Grande -Big
Grand Rond de Jambe – Taking the leg around off of the floor
Glissade – Glide
Grand Battement – The leg goes up with force either to the front, side or back and is controlled on the way down.
H
Haut, en – high
Hortensia – A male dancer’s step in which the dancer jumps into the air with the legs drawn up, one in front of the other, then reverses their position several times before landing with the feet apart again. This step almost looks like swimming in air.
J
Jete – Throw or Thrown
M
Maneges – Circles. Dancer does a circular pattern around the stage
Mazurka – Polish Character Dance
O
Ouvert – Open
P
Petit Battement Sur le Cou-de-Pied – Little beating on the neck of the foot
Plie – To bend or fold
Port de Bras – Carriage of the Arms
Pas de Chat – Step of a cat
Pas de Cheval – Step of a Horse
Penche – Leaning
Pied – Foot
Q
Quatre – Four
Quatriem – Fourth
R
Raccourci – Shortened
Releve – Raised
Retire – To draw – drawing of the toe up the calf to the knee
Ronds de Jambe – round the leg
Ronds de Jambe en l’Air – The working foot does an oval action from the side of the knee and out to 2nd at 45 degrees
S
Saute – Jump or jumping
Split – A configuration of the legs extended in opposite directions
Sur Les Cou-de-Pied – On the neck of the foot
Sur Les Pointes – On the points or on tips of dancers toes
T
Temps Lie – Linked – transfer of weight from one leg to the other
Temps Leve – Time raised is the literal meaning, but in ballet it is a hop on one foot
Tutu – A classical ballet full circle short skirt
Turnout – The rotation of the legs in the hip socket
V
Variation – A solo dance
The list is endless and I will keep adding to these ballet terms definitions.