DAQUIOAG, EDRIEL V.

BSAIS-1A
PE002 SOUTH
RESEARCH 3
BALLET

bal·let
/baˈlā,ˈbalā/
noun
noun: ballet
an artistic dance form performed to music using precise and highly formalized set steps and
gestures. Classical ballet, which originated in Renaissance Italy and established its present form
during the 19th century, is characterized by light, graceful, fluid movements and the use of pointe
shoes.

a creative work or performance of ballet, or the music written for it.

plural noun: ballets
a group of dancers who regularly perform ballets.
"the New York City Ballet"

From Oxford

Atlanta Ballet
BALLET TERMS, POSITIONS, AND POSES
Gain a deeper appreciation for this art form by learning more about ballet moves, positions, poses,
and more with this helpful glossary of dance terminology from Atlanta Ballet. This is not an
exhaustive list, but a starting point to help you familiarize yourself with the language used to
describe ballet.

Ballet Moves

Assemblé (assam blay) - Lifting off the floor on one leg, and landing on two. Legs assemble at the
same time and return to fifth position.

Grande Jeté (grand jeh tay) - a big jump from one foot to the other in which the working leg is
brushed into the air and appears to have been thrown.

Plié (plee ay) - means bent, bending - of the knee or knees.

Pirouette (peer o wet) - a rotation or spin - a complete turn of the body on one foot, on point or
demi-pointe (half- pointe).

Tour en l'air (tour on lair) - a turn in the air - usually a male dancer's step, although ballerinas may
do them to depending on the choreography.

Ballet Position Terms

Arabesque (Ah rah besk) - a position on one leg with the other leg raised behind the body and
extended in a straight line.

Attitude (ah tea tude) - A variation on the arabesque. The extended leg is raised behind the body
but bent at the knee at an angle of 90 degrees.

Croisé (quo say) - A dancer stands with legs crossed at an angle to the audience. The disengaged
leg may be crossed in the front or in the back.

Turn-out - The dancer turns his or her feet and legs out from the hip joints to a 90-degree position.

Types of Ballet

Classical Ballet - a traditional style of ballet which stresses the academic technique developed
through the centuries of the existence of ballet.

Modern Ballet - a type of ballet from the twentieth century. To this day, modern ballet looks to re-
invent itself and reach out in an ever-increasing facet of creation and movement.

People of the Ballet

Ballerina - a female dancer in a ballet company.

Danseur - a male dancer in a ballet company.

Choreographer - a person who composes or invents ballets or dances.

Ballet Master or Ballet Mistress - a person in a ballet company whose job is to give the daily
company class and to rehearse the ballets in the company repertoire.

Balletomane (bal lay toe mane) - A ballet fan or enthusiast.

Additional Ballet Terms

Choreography - describes the steps, combinations, and patterns of a ballet or dance.

Pointe Shoes - The satin ballet shoes used by dancers when dancing on their pointes (toes). Pointe
shoes are reinforced with a box constructed of numerous layers of strong glue in between layers of
material. Pointe shoes are not made of cement or wood.
Tutu - the short classical ballet skirt made of many layers of net. A romantic tutu is a long net skirt
reaching below the calf.

Barre - a horizontal bar (usually made of wood) along a studio wall for class exercises. Every
ballet class begins with barre exercises.

Centre Practice - a group of exercises similar to those at the barre but performed in the center of
the room. These exercises are done without the support of the barre and are normally performed
with alternate feet.

Pas de Deux - a dance for two.

Adagio (u da zhe-o) - is a succession of slow, soft, lyrical, and continuous movements. Adagio
creates the illusion that the positions flow from one into another.

Allegro (a leg grow) - allegro in ballet involves fast and dynamic movements, usually jumping
steps and sequences.

https://www.atlantaballet.com/resources/ballet-terms-and-positions

Basic Ballet Steps

Rachel Hanson
By Rachel Hanson
Choreographer
Practicing pliés
In order to learn basic ballet steps, it is advisable to begin with the simplest steps and work on the
technique of getting these steps right before moving on to more advanced ballet steps.

Ballet Technique

Learning the art of this classical dance form is not a quick or easy practice; developing one's
technique in ballet takes several years of practice and a lot of discipline and repetition of the basic
steps. The most important principles of ballet technique to start with are the principles of turnout,
alignment, and pointed toes.

Related Articles
Ballet Dance Steps
Basic Dance Steps
Ballet Terms
Turnout
Virtually all steps and movements in ballet are done in a turned out position, which is to say that
the feet are pointing more to the sides of the dancer's body than to the front. Turnout can be
achieved either through the ankles, the knees, or the hips; of these three, only turning out from the
hip joint is correct. This point is extremely important to remember in order to reduce the risk of
dance injuries. The ankle joint and knee joint are not built to rotate, while the hip joint is. Learn to
turn out from the hips and you are already on your way to learning basic ballet steps.

Alignment
The entire body should be aligned in ballet. For beginners, the important things to consider are the
spine and the legs. Make sure your shoulders are back and relaxed, and that your hips are tucked
underneath your torso. As for your legs, it's important to keep your knees straight (but not locked),
unless you are executing a step in which the knee is bent.

Pointed Toes
The signature of ballet dancers is pointed feet. Work on this slowly to avoid cramping, and be sure
to not rotate your ankles in order to produce a more impressively pointed foot. This is an illusion,
and one than can lead to ankle injuries.

With these basics of ballet technique, you are ready to try out the genre's steps for beginners.

Basic Ballet Steps

The first thing to master in terms of ballet steps are the five positions of ballet. From these five
positions, you can learn the following movements:

Pliés
'Plier' is the French word for bend, and this dance step refers to the bending of the knees. There are
two types of pliés: grand plié and simply plié. Grand plié refers to bringing the body almost all the
way to the floor by bringing an extreme bend into the knees; in this movement, the heels of the
feet come off the floor, whereas in a regular plié the heels should stay firmly planted on the
ground, and the bend in the knees is only half as deep as the grand plié.

Tendus
From the French word for 'stretch', tendu, like plié, comes in a few different varieties. A tendu is
simply executed by extending one foot across the floor either to the front of the body, to the side,
or to the rear. When sliding the foot, it is important to pay attention to your knees and feet; when
your foot reaches the tendu position, the knee should be completely straight, and only the toes of
the foot should have contact with the floor. This step is called a tendu, but there are also more
advanced types for once you have mastered the basic ballet steps.

Elevés
This ballet step means 'lifted up', which refers to the fact that this movement is either done on
pointe shoes, or, for beginning dancers, on half-pointe (on the balls of your feet). Elevés are more
difficult in some of the five positions than others, and should be practiced in all positions, as well
as both while holding onto the barre, and without holding on (with arms in the position that
corresponds to the position the feet are in). In addition to 'elevé' is 'relevé', in which the end
position is the same (lifted up), but is executed from plié instead of simply from a straight leg.

Coupés
Before you start learning ballet leaps and difficult balancing steps, coupés are a good step to get
one foot off the floor without being exceedingly difficult. From the French word meaning 'to cut',
coupés are a quick action in which one foot is lifted off the ground in order to produce a changing
of weight from one foot to the other. Learning this quick changing of weight executed in an artistic
and graceful way can help you transition into ballet movements and ballet leaps.
https://dance.lovetoknow.com/basic-ballet-steps

https://www.britannica.com/art/ballet