Dance Vocabulary

*Clickpointe shoe to see a photo of the step

A la quatrieme (ah-la-cot-ree-em)

 
to the 4th position
A la seconde (ah-la-se-cohnd)
to the 2nd position
A terre (ah-tair)
on the ground
Adagio (u-dah-gee-oh)
slow
Allegro (u-leg-grow)
fast
Allongé (o-lohn-jay)
elongated
Arabesque (air-u-besk)

pose
Assemblé (o-som-blay)
assemble
Attitude
pose
Baisé (bay-zay)
lower
Balancé (bal-un-say)
rocking step
Balancoire (bal-un-swar)
swinging
Ballonné (ball-oh-nay)
bounced
Ballotté (ball-oh-tay)
tossed
Battement (baht-ma)
kick
Battu (baht-two)
beat
Bourré (boo-ray)
little steps
Bras (brah)
arms
Cambré (cahm-bray)
arch
Chaines (shen-nay)
chain step
Changement (shange-ma)
change
Chassé (shah-say)
chase
Contretemps (cahn-tru-tom)
counter-time
Corps (core)
body
Coupé (coo-pay)
cut
Couru (core-oo)
run
Croisé (kwah-zay)
crossed
De coté (day-coh-tay)
sideways
Degagé (day-ga-jay)

pointe shoe
disengaged
Demi (de-mee)
half/small
Derriere (dair-ee-air)
back
Dessous(oo) (day-soo)
under
Dessus(oh) (day-soh)
over
Detourné (day-tour-nay)
turn around
Devant (du-vahnt)
front
Developpé (day-vel-oh-pay)
develope
Écarté (ay-car-tay)
thrown apart
Échappé (ay-shah-pay)
escape
Effacé (ay-fah-say)
facing
Elancé (ee-lahn-say)
dart
Elevé (el-lah-vay)
lifted (straight knees)
Emboité (ahm-bwah-tay)
box-like
En arriere (on-air-ree-air)
backward
En avant (on-u-vahnt)
forward
En bas (on-bah)
low
En croix (on-cwah)
shape of a cross
En dedans (on-day-dahn)
inward
En dehors (on-day-ohr)
outward turn
En face (on-fahs)
facing (front)
En haut (on-oh)
height
En l´air (on-lair)
in the air
Entrechat (ontru-shah)
interweaving
Envelopé (on-vel-oh-pay)
envelope
Epaulé (ay-poll-lay)
shouldered
Failli (f-I-yee)
giving way
Fermé (fair-may)
closed
Fondue (fahn-doo)
melt
Fouetté (fwah-tay)
whip
Frappé (frah-pay)
strike
Glissade (glee-sahd)
glide
Grande (grahnd)
big
Hauteur (ah-tour)
height
Jambe (jahm)
leg
Jeté (je-tay)
throw
Ouvert (oh-vair)
open
Pas (pah)
step
Pas de chat (pah-du-shah)
step of the cat
Pas de cheval (pah-du-shu-vall)
step of the horse
Passé (pah-say)

pointe shoe
pass
Petit (pu-teet)
little
Pied (pee-yaid)
foot
Piqué (pee-kay)
prick
Pirouette (peer-oh-wet)
spin
Plié (plee-yay)
bend
Port de bras (pohr-du-brah)
movement of the arms
Port de corps (pohr-du-cohr)
movement of the body
Positions
pointe shoe
5 positions of the feet
Quatre (cot-tru)
four
Relevé (rell-lu-vay)

 

rise (from plié)
Retiré (ret-teer-ray)
retire, rest
Rond de jambe (rohn-du-jahm)
circle of the leg
Royal (rohy-al)
royal
Sauté (soh-tay)
jump
Serré (sair-ray)
continuous
Sissonne (see-sohn)
name of the originator
Soubresaut (soo-bru-soh)
spring
Sous-sus (soo-soo)
under-over
Soutenu (soo-tu-noo)
sustained
Temps levé (tom-lu-vay)
time lifted
Temps lié (tom-lee-yay)
time connected
Tendue (than-doo)

point shoe
stretch
Tombé (tohm-bay)
fall
Tour (toor)
turn in the air
Trios (twah)
three

 


             
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