Port de bras [pawr duh brah] Carriage of the arms. The term port de bras has two meanings: (1) A movement or series of movements made by pas...

Attitude [a-tee-TEWD] A particular pose in dancing derived by Carlo Blasis from the statue of Mercury by Giovanni da Bologna. It is a positi...

Arabesque [a-ra-BESK] One of the basic poses in ballet, arabesque takes its name from a form of Moorish ornament. In ballet it is a position...

Battement frappé [bat-MAHN fra-PAY] Struck battement. An exercise in which the dancer forcefully extends the working leg from a cou-de-pied ...

Sauté, sautée [soh-TAY] Jumped, jumping. When this term is added to the name of a step, the movement is performed while jumping. As, for exa...

Sur le cou-de-pied [sewr luh koo-duh-PYAY] On the "Neck" of the foot. The working foot is placed on the part of the leg between th...

Relevé [ruhl-VAY] Raised. A raising of the body on the points or demi-pointes, point or demi-pointe. There are two ways to relevé. In the Fr...

Rond de jambe [rawn duh zhahnb] Round of the leg, that is, a circular movement of the leg. Rond de jambe are used as an exercise at the bar,...

Battement dégagé [bat-MAHN day-ga-ZHAY] Disengaged battement. A term of the Cecchetti method. The battement dégagé is similar to the batteme...

Battement Tendu [bat-MAHN tahn-DEW] Battement stretched. A battement tendu is the commencing portion and ending portion of a grand battement...