1. Aleena Saha
3 August 2016
DANC22K/Theory and Technique of Ballet I
Professor Warren Lucas
Ballet Vocabulary
● Barre: Some barres are stationary and others can be moved. They are
used to do stretches that generally precede floorwork. Barre work is
usually taught first with both hands on the barre and then taught with
one hand at a time. It is very helpful for balance although people can
begin to over-rely on the support. There are many “pure barre” exercise
programs that have developed, which utilize small movements that do not
strain the joints, to optimize form.
● Plié: With the hips turned out, and careful to keep the weight of the body
correctly centered over the feet, one bends at the knees. The shoulders
are kept down and the abdomen is engaged. The chest is flat but holds up
the arms whether it is resting on the bar or on the floor. The plie can be
done in any of the five leg positions. In demi-plie, the heels must stay on
the ground and demi indicates that it is done halfway. The arms move in a
manner which is supposed to look like one is floating and you follow the
arms with the eyes. In grand (pronounced ‘gromn’) plie, the knees come
over the feet and the bend causes the heels to come up. The back is still
straight and you stop in demi-plie when you come back up.
● Port de bras: Bras refers to the arms, but Port de bras can either be an
exercise to move through the different arm positions, or bending at the
waist forward and backward, circularly, etc.

2. ● Tendu: From the initial position, the leg drags across the floor to stretch.
It can be done to the front, to the back, or to the side. The toes are pointed,
and depending on the direction of the leg, there is an accompanying arm
movement.
● En croix: It signifies doing an exercise in a cross movement, to the front,
to the side, to the back, and then back to the side.
● Degage: Degage sounds like disengage because you must tendu and then
lift your leg slightly off the floor. It’s part of glissades.
● Pas de cheval: The step of the horse, done parallely to the bar (which is
considered sixth position by some). In cheval you start in coud-de-pied
and then you quickly flex your foot while dragging it on the floor before
you bring it back to coud-de-pied. Pas de cheval is often done en croix.
● Frappe: Although how the foot returns to the leg, either flexed or pointed
can differ, in frappe it is important to strike the floor quickly and only
once before returning to coud-de-pied.
● Passe: Either in eleve or with the feet planted, the dancer passes the
working foot (right or left) from the back to the front or from the front to
the back. The hip is turned out and the pointed foot comes up to the knee.
Then it slides down again.
● Coupe: Coupe means to cut. It is the same as the passé but the moving foot
only comes up to the ankle of the other foot.
● Rond de jambe: To prepare, from fifth position, the dancer evokes a half
circle so the foot is in fourth position. It quickly passes through first
position and then does a half circle to return to fourth position. It is pretty
hard to stay turned out.

3. ● Ar terre: The above circular movement but with the foot pointed on the
ground
● En l’aire: is the circle with the foot pointed in the air. Most of the
movement comes from below the knee.
● En de hors: is the circle with the foot pointed that goes to outside. This
requires that you move away from your body. Starting from the front
going to the back.
● En de dans: is the circle with the foot pointed that goes to inside. This
requires that you move into your body. Starting from the back going to
the front.
● Pirouette: In fourth position, the weight is shifted to the front leg and the
other leg is sharply extended before bringing it to the knee while turning.
You land in fifth position plie. They can be open or closed.
● Glissade: You start with 5th position plie, and then the foot is extended
into a degage but the weight is shifted onto that foot as it lands. The other
foot returns into fifth position.
● Changement de pieds: The dancer is in fifth position plie, and the hands
in low second. The heels should be touching the ground as they land from
the jump. The jump involves switching from front to being in the back. It
translates to the change of the feet.
● Sur le cou-de-pied: on the neck of the feet, this takes some practice but
essentially the dancer curls their feet so that the heel is to the audience
and the pointed toe is almost not seen
● Releve: From plie to go into eleve, this is a rather weird looking step
● Eleve: Feet planted on the ground to being on your toes

4. ● Arabasque: Look longingly past the hand outstretched in front of you at
chest level. It can also refer to the legs where one leg is balanced on the
ground, and the other is stretched to the back in the air or on the ground.
● Echappe: to escape, it means to go from a first or fifth position to the 2nd
position, the dancer will land in plie, it is a quick jump
● Ballotte: In ballotte, the dancer jumps into the air and during the hang
time brings the foot up to the knee and then quickly extends it front or to
the back. The hands are kept low and stiffly out to the sides as if holding a
tutu.
● Saute: Jump
● Pas de basque: This builds off the rond de jam because as you finish the
half circle step, the other foot takes a graceful leap, which is closely
followed into fifth position. The leg which does the leap also has the
leading arabesque hands. It is like if they were playing in the snow.
● Développé: First put the foot in retire and then extend the leg out in the
air. It can be done en croix.
● Soutenue en tournant: Take a demi plie and then extend one leg in tendu.
Bring the extended leg back into a demi pointe. When you turn it should
be in the back, fifth position.