The History of Ballet

Early Ballet Development

The word ballet is French in origin, yet in the early 1400's Domenico di Piacenza, an Italian, described theatrical dances called balletto. Lavish pageants of music and dance were held during which the men were fully garbed in wigs, blouses, jackets and bloomers. The women wore ornate gowns of many layers, the weight of which was encumbering to stand in, let alone perform in. The troupes, composed of hundreds, included not only hired performers, but members of the duke's court whose purpose it was to impress the nobility of neighbouring states. The performances accompanied elaborate banquets, each course of the meal was prefaced by a dance called an "entrée". For the aristocracy, these extravaganzas took on a magnitude of competitiveness. It is said that in 1490, Leonardo da Vinci designed a balli spectacular for Bergonzio di Botta to entertain the Duke of Milan. The artistic interpretation of the dance was to mirror the harmony of the celestial bodies, to establish order out of chaos, and to bestow peace upon those in attendance. Was it competition or art, balletto or ballet?

Although Catherine de Medicis, a member of the ruling family of Florence, left Italy, she did not leave her love for the arts behind. When she married the King of France, Henri II in 1553, she introduced the same kind of culture to France as she had known in Italy. She brought Balthasar de Beaujoyeulx with her to France to be her chief musician. Those historians inclined to reject the less defined techniques of the Italian balletto as the historical root of ballet, might consider the performance of the Ballet Comique de la Reine at the Palais du Petit Bourbon in Paris as the true birth of ballet. In 1581, the gifted Beaujoyeulx, violinist and dance master, orchestrated a five hour drama depicting the ancient Greek myth of Circe, who had the magical power to turn men into beasts. Song and poetry, spectacular stage effects, meticulously prepared costumes designed to impress the aristocratic audience peering down from their perches above proved to be a success worthy of imitation in other European courts. Although balance and control were essential to this style of performance, the development of ballet technique was thwarted by showy, unwieldy costumes.

 

First Ballet Instruction

To further define Paris as the capital of the ballet world, King Louis XIV, who ruled France during the late 1600s, and his nobles, took part in the ballets given at his court. In 1661, the Sun King, a name he acquired from a role he danced in high-heeled shoes with large guilt buckles complete with shining sun rays, founded the Royal Academy of Dance, which later became the Paris Opera Ballet, the first professional instruction for ballet. Oddly enough, the outward pointing of toes to show off his shiny shoe buckles laid the foundation for the five basic ballet positions set down by ballet master Pierre Beachamps. It should be noted that up until 1681 all female roles performed at RAD were danced by young men. This was supposedly a strength issue. Enormous headdresses, full heavy skirts and weighty corsets were thought incapable of being carried by the frame of a woman. It was not until the performance of Le Triomphe de l'Amour in 1681 that the first female dancers performed professionally.

By 1700 many of the words we recognize to display movements were already in use, including jete, sissone, chasse, entrechat, pirouette, and cabriole. The French ballet master, Raoul Feuillet included steps and positions in his book Choregraphie much like the technique of today. Ballet companies developed throughout Europe. In Russia, the Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg, whose school was founded in 1738, demonstrated superlative teachings.

Six decades later, a metamorphosis was about to unfold. French choreographer Jean Georges Noverre criticized professional dancers in his book, Lettres sur la danse. He stated that the purpose of ballet was to express feelings. He urged dancers to stop wearing masks, bulky costumes and headdresses. He felt that a dancer's body should be able to express emotions such as anger or joy or love. Noverre developed the ballet d'action, a form of ballet that conveys a story through movement.

 

Prominent Roles Assumed by Women

In time, dramas and stories depicting mythology faded and more romantic themes emerged. By the early 1800's, women to assumed the primary roles in romantic ballet. The idea that a dancer could float angelically upon her toes, barely touching the earth, gave women newfound superiority over men. The role of men became that of porters whose purpose was to lift the ballerinas and make it look easy.

Italian choreographer, Filippo Taglioni created the first romantic ballet for his daughter, Marie. She appeared in a costume style never before seen on stage by any ballerina as she danced the role of a fairy who allowed her heart to be broken by a mortal man. Dressed in white, her skirt cascaded halfway below her knees and her ankles. More astonishing was that, Marie Taglione's arms were not covered with heavy sleeves. In fact, there were no sleeves at all. She became the star of the Paris stage. Soon afterward, other ballerinas became known. From Austria, ballerina Fanny Elssler danced in La Gypsy. Italian ballerina, Carlotta Grisi played the spirit of a girl who died for love in the ballet, Giselle. Most notorious of all women's roles in ballet are those created in the 1890's by Marius Petipa, who left Paris to join the Russian Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg, which later became the Kirov Ballet. The leading roles in his Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, both set to scores by Peter Tchaikovsky, are still the most loved and the most coveted by every ballerina.

 

Professional Ballet Dance Companies Emerge

The St. Petersburg company experienced the seemingly effortless talents of Anna Pavlova and Vaslav Nijinsky. Both Pavlova and Nijinsky also danced with another famous Russian company, the Diaghilev Ballets Russes, established in 1909. Michel Fokine was the first choreographer of the Ballets Russes. He instructed a technique that used the dancer's entire body at all times while expressing the story. Over the next several years, the Ballets Russes performed many ballets that have since become famous including Scheherazade and Firebird in 1910, and Petroucha in 1911.One of the dancers of the Ballet Russes, Enrico Checchetti, later became famous as the creator of the Cecchetti method of teaching ballet.

England had been a place where foreign ballet dancers performed, not a place where ballet was taught, until 1922, when a group of Checchetti followers, Édouard Espinosa and Philip Richardson founded what would become the Royal Academy of Dancing. Agnes De Mille moved to London in 1932 where she received dance training at the Madame Marie Rambert's Ballet Club. She went on to become a prominent American ballet choreographer and dancer. The neice of famous producer, Cecil B. De Mille, Agnes De Mille brought ballet techniques to musicals, such as Oklahoma and The Sound of Music. She continued to be actively involved with artistic dance until her death in 1993.

 

Ballet In America

More than anyone, it was the Russian influence of choreographer George Balanchine that brought ballet to America. The now world-famous New York City Ballet was confounded by Balanchine, who worked for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes as a young man, and who was invited to work in the United States by a wealthy patron of the arts, Lincoln Kirstein. Kirstein knew little about ballet and Balanchine knew just as little about America. Balanchine moved towards the creation of plotless ballets where the motivation was movement in response to music rather than to a storyline. His ballet Jewels, which he choreographed in 1967 was the first evening-length ballet of this type.

 

The Russian Men

In 1961, the world spotlight was on a powerful dancer of the Russian Kirov ballet, Rudolf Nureyev. When the Kirov began to organize a Paris and London tour, his offstage, personal disregard for Soviet ideals placed him in jeopardy of not going on the tour. He sought political asylum in France. After defecting, he paired with Margot Fonteyn as a dance partner with many companies.

Yet another young dancer at the Kirov Ballet, by the name of Mikhail Baryshnikov, was gaining notoriety. In 1974, while touring with the Bolshoi Ballet in Canada, Baryshnikov requesting political asylum. Soon after, he came to the United Stated and became principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre where he mesmerized audiences for five years. He went on to join New York City Ballet, where he worked with choreographer George Balanchine before returning to ABT in 1980 as dancer and artistic director. Baryshnikov never danced in ballets that required the male character to carry height, he was not tall and was rather known for his textbook form and technical excellence.

 

A Style of Her Own

Finally, a mention of Twyla Tharp, an American dancer and choreographer who made ballet interesting, even for those who knew nothing of technique, by adding her own inventive style to the traditional dance. Tharp won three Emmy Awards for her 1985 television production Baryshnikov by Tharp in 1985. She began her dance company in 1988 and merged with American Ballet Theatre. In 1991, Tharp regrouped her company, Twyla Tharp Dance, and created a program with Mikhail Baryshnikov called Cutting up, which became one of contemporary dance's most successful tours. More than that, she infused intelligent humour into the soul of ballet.

 

 

Basic Ballet Dictionary

 

==A== adage ["at ease"; the musical direction, adagio, means "slow."].   allegro [Italian: "happy"; in music, "fast"].   allongé ["elongated"].   arabesque ["Arabic"].   assemblé ["assembled"].   attitude ["attitude"].   ==B== balancé ["rocking"].   ballonné ["ball-like"].   ballotté ["tossed"].   barre ["bar"].   battement ["beating"].   battement tendu ["stretched beat"]. ("Tendu" for short.)   ==C== cambré ["bent"].   chassé ["chased"].   ciseaux ["scissors"].   cou-de-pied ["neck of the foot"].   cou-de-pied, sur le ["on the neck of the foot"].   coupé ["cut"].   croisé ["crossed"].   croix, en ["in (the form of) a cross"]. front, side, back, side   ==D== dedans, en ["inward"].   dégagé ["disengaged"].   dehors, en ["outward"].   derrière ["behind"].   dessous ["under"].   dessus ["over"].   détourné ["turned aside"].   devant ["ahead"].   developpé ["developed"].   ==E== écarté ["separated"].   échappé ["escaped"]..   effacé ["effaced"]..   élancer ["to dart"].   emboité ["boxed"].   en face ["facing"].   en l'air ["in the air"].   enchaînement ["chaining"].   entrechat ["braided, interwoven"].   épaulement ["shouldering"].   étendre ["to stretch"].   ==F== failli ["giving way"].     fondu ["melted"].   fouetté ["whipped"].   fouetté en tournant ["turning fouetté"].   frappé ["struck"],

==G== glissade ["glide"].   glisser ["to glide"].   grand battement ["big beat"].   grand jeté ["big thrown (step)"].   ==J== jeté ["thrown"].   ==O== opposition. Movement (or position)   ==P== pas. (A step).   pas de Basque ["Basque step"].   pas de bourrée ["bourrée step," the bourrée being an old folk dance].   pas de chat ["step of the cat"].   pas de cheval ["step of the horse"].   passé ["passed"].   penché ["leaning"].   petit battement ["little beat"].   petit jeté ["little jump"].   pirouette ["spin"].   plier ["to bend"]   plié ["bent"]. . pointe ["point"] (demi ["half"], quarter, three-quarter, sur les pointes ["on the points"]).   pointe tendu ["stretched point (of the foot)"].   port de bras ["carriage of the arms"].   positions on stage: Croisé, effacé, en face, écarté.   promenade ["walk"].   ==Q== quatrième ["fourth"]. Fourth position.   quatrième, à la ["in the fourth"]..   ==R== relever ["to rise"].   relevé ["raised"]. A   retiré ["withdrawn"].   rond de jambe ["circular movement of the leg"].   ==S== seconde, à la ["in second"]. I   sissonne [Named for its inventor].   soubresaut ["sudden leap"].   sous-sus ["under-over"] (or sus-sous ["over-under"]).   soutenu ["sustained"].   ==T== temps. Literally, "time," but perhaps "moment" would be better.   temps levé ["raised movement"].   temps lié ["joined movement"].   tendu ["stretched"].   terre-à-terre ["ground to ground"].   turnout. (rotation of the hips) The balletic stance in which the legs are rotated outward so that the legs (and feet) point in opposite directions.

Basic Ballet Dictionary

 

==A==

adage [Italian ad agio: "at ease"; the musical direction, adagio, means "slow."]. The second part of a ballet class: slow work with emphasis on sustained positions and on balance.

 

allegro [Italian: "happy"; in music, "fast"]. The third part of a ballet class: fast work, jumps, turns. Usually divided into petit ["little"] allegro and grand ["big"] allegro.

 

allongé ["elongated"]. With the arms stretched out as far as possible.

 

arabesque ["Arabic"]. A pose with one leg stretched straight out to the back and one arm usually stretched out to the front. The back leg may be on the floor or at 45, 90, or 135 degrees. (These angles are measured from the vertical; 90 degrees means parallel to the floor.)

 

arms, positions of. These are numbered, as are the positions of the feet, but the numbering varies from one school to the next. The four basic positions are: (a) arms down and a little in front of the legs (called bras bas ["low arms"],) (b) arms to the side, (c) arms forward (at about the height of the bottom of the breastbone), (d) arms overhead. In all positions, the arms are gently curved.

 

When the arms are forward, they are held as if embracing a large barrel (one large enough that the hands can't meet). The forward position is sometimes known as the "gateway," because in many port de bras,the arms pass through the gateway on the way to a higher position. The position with the arms to the side is universally known as second position. In this position, they are curved forward of the body, as if embracing a large cylinder perhaps 8 feet (2.5 m) in diameter. Arms overhead are sometimes called en couronne ("like a crown"). In this position, they should be far enough forward that you can just make out the little fingers (by peripheral vision) when looking straight ahead.

 

Numbering: (a) (arms down) is bras au repos according to the French school, "preparatory position" according to the Russian school, and first position according to Cecchetti. (b) (arms to the side) is universally known as second position. (c) (arms in front) is first position according to the French and Russians and fifth position en avant ["in front"] according to Cecchetti. (d) (arms overhead) is fifth position for the French, third position for the Russians, and fifth position en haut ["up high"] for Cecchetti.

 

assemblé ["assembled"]. A jump: plié, brushing working leg out. Jump. Bring both legs together ("assemble" them) into fifth position while in midair; land on both feet. The brush can be to the front, the side, or the back.

 

attitude ["attitude"]. A pose. As with the arabesque, the working leg is raised. But unlike the arabesque, it is bent, not straight, and, also unlike the arabesque, it can be done to the front, the side, or the back. In attitude to the front or the back, if the angle is 90 degrees, the calf should be as nearly horizontal as possible.

 

==B==

balancé ["rocking"]. A waltz step. For a balancé to the right, start in fifth position. On count of 1-2-3, right foot goes out to the side and the weight is transferred to it (1). Immediately bring left foot behind right and and transfer the weight to the ball of the left foot while rising up on it (2). Put your weight back on the right foot flat on the floor (not raised up) (3). A balancé to one side is almost always followed by a balancé to the other side. Balancés can also be done to the front and back or turning.

 

balançoire. Short for battements en balançoire, ["battements like a seesaw"]. The dancer swings the working leg vigorously back and forth between fourth position front and fourth back, through first position. Unlike grand battements en cloche, balançoires do not require that the body be held straight.

 

ballon ["balloon"]. The appearance of weightlessness and of being airborne. A dancer is said to have ballon if (s)he seems to be in the air constantly with only momentary contact with the floor.

 

ballonné ["ball-like"]. A jump. From 5th position, right foot front, demi-plié while the right foot glides to 2nd position at 45 degrees. Jump with left while travelling in the air towards the right foot. Land on left foot with the right having come in to the position sur le cou-de-pied front. Repeat by throwing the right foot out to the side again from the position sur le cou-de-pied. Can be done in many different directions.

 

ballotté ["tossed"]. A jump. Begin in 5th, right leg front. Spring straight upward with both legs held tightly together, as the body begins to tilt slightly backward at the apex of the jump. The body lands on the left foot while the right is thrown open to the front. Repeat backwards, with a slight tilt to the front at the apex of the jump.

 

Can also be done with bent knees, as the working leg goes through rétiré position front (to go forward). In this case the repeat may start by the left leg jumping up while the right comes back in to join it; the left leg then bending to bring the foot through rétiré back before thrusting backwards as the body lands on the right leg.

 

barre ["bar"]. 1. The railing, about waist high, along the wall of a studio. Used by dancers as for steadying themselves in the first part of a class. 2. The first part of ballet class, consisting of exercises done with the aid of the barre.

 

battement ["beating"]. A generic term for various movements in which the leg is extended and then returned. See grand battement and petit battement. This is also one of those words (like pas and temps) that are frequently omitted and understood; thus, for example, frappé is short for battement frappé, etc. In this list, look under the second word (e.g.,, under frappé, not under battement frappé. The only exception to this is battement tendu.

 

battement tendu ["stretched beat"]. ("Tendu" for short.) Slide the working foot out until only the toes are touching the floor; then slide it back. An important exercise for learning to move the foot quickly and gracefully while maintaining placement. Balanchine considered it the most important exercise in all of ballet.

 

==C==

cambré ["bent"]. A bend from the waist in any direction, but especially forward or back.

 

chaîné turns. Short for tours chaînées déboulés, "chained, rolling turns." Fast turns on half or full point with the legs in a tight first position, rotating a half turn on one foot and the other half on the other foot. Done one after the other so they're "chained" together.

 

changement (short for changement de pieds ["change of the feet"]). A jump, straight up, starting from fifth position with one foot in front and landing in fifth position with the other foot in front.

 

chassé ["chased"]. A gliding step. The working leg slides out; put weight on working leg and draw other leg along floor to it. (In American folk dancing, this word was mispronounced, giving rise to the term "sashay.")

 

ciseaux ["scissors"]. Opening the legs, like the blades of a pair of scissors, to a wide second position; may be jumped. Not to be confused with sissonne.

 

class (in French, also leçon ["lesson"]). A ballet class is a carefully graded sequence of exercises lasting, typically, an hour and a half. The work falls into three parts. The first part consists of stretching and warming-up exercises done with the support of the barre. You may spend anywhere from forty minutes to an hour at the barre. Then you move to the center of the studio to work without support. The second part of class, called adage, consists of slow work in which the emphasis is on sustaining positions and on balance. The final part of class, allegro, consists of fast work, mostly combinations (sequences of steps) with the big jumps and turns that make ballet such an impressive and dazzling sight.

 

combination. A series of steps linked together, usually as an exercise in class.

 

cou-de-pied ["neck of the foot"]. The thinnest part of the calf, just above the ankle.

 

cou-de-pied, sur le ["on the neck of the foot"]. A position. A foot is sur le cou-de-pied if it is placed on the the calf just above the ankle. In the Russian school, the foot is actually wrapped around the ankle, with the heel forward and the toes back. It may be placed on the front of the calf in this position, at the side, or in back. The back position is sometimes called, incorrectly, coupé.

 

coupé ["cut"]. A linking step in which the working foot displaces the supporting foot (cuts it away). Sometimes used, incorrectly, for the position sur le cou-de-pied in back or, less often, in front.

 

croisé ["crossed"]. A position on stage in which the dancer faces one of the front corners with the legs crossed. In croisé devant, the downstage leg is in fourth position to the front; in croisé derrière, the upstage leg is in fourth position to the back.

 

croix, en ["in (the form of) a cross"]. Usually applied to exercises at the barre: the exercise is done first with the working leg moving to the front, then to the side, then to the back, and then to the (same) side again.

 

==D==

dedans, en ["inward"]. Used to describe motion toward the front of the body. In a pirouette en dedans, the dancer turns so the raised leg rotates toward the front. In a rond de jambe en dedans, the working leg moves in a half-circle from the back toward the front.

 

dégagé ["disengaged"]. A movement or position in which the working leg is lifted off the floor.

 

dehors, en ["outward"]. Used to describe motion away from the front of the body. In a pirouette en dehors, the dancer turns so the raised leg rotates away from the front. In a rond de jambe en dehors, the working leg moves in a half-circle away from the front toward the back.

 

derrière ["behind"]. Directed behind the body. À la quatrième derrière is with the leg pointing back from the body.

 

dessous ["under"]. Describes motion of the working foot under (i.e., behind) the supporting foot. English speakers have trouble with the difference between the French -ou- and -u-, so they tend to use "under" and "over" in preference to dessous and dessus.

 

dessus ["over"]. Describes motion of the working foot over (i.e., in front of) the supporting foot. English speakers have trouble with the difference between the French -ou- and -u-, so they tend to use "under" and "over" in preference to dessous and dessus.

 

détourné ["turned aside"]. A smooth turn made by pivoting on the toes in relevé.

 

devant ["ahead"]. Directed in front of the body. À la quatrième devant is with the leg pointing ahead of the body.

 

developpé ["developed"]. A movement in which the working leg is drawn up to the knee of the supporting leg and from there smoothly out to a position in the air, usually at 90 degrees (i.e., parallel to the floor).

 

==E==

écarté ["separated"]. A position on stage in which the dancer faces one of the front corners with the working leg in second position, either on or off the floor. The body is tilted slightly away from the working leg. The arm on the side of the working leg is raised; the arm on the side of the supporting leg is in second. If the working leg and raised arm are downstage (toward the audience), this is écarté devant; if they are upstage, this is écarté derrière.

 

échappé ["escaped"]. A movement in which the legs move from fifth position out to second position or, occasionally, to fourth position.

 

effacé ["effaced"]. A position on stage in which the dancer faces one of the downstage corners with the legs crossed, upstage leg forward. The downstage arm is usually raised in this position, so that the face is shaded, or effaced; hence the name.

 

élancer ["to dart"]. One of the seven movements in dance (see movements.

 

elevation. The ability to jump high in the air. A step of elevation is a jump.

 

emboité ["boxed"]. A jump. Start in 5th; assume the right leg is in front. Jump up, bend the right leg to 45 degrees. Land on the right foot with the left leg slightly bent and the left foot in front of the right ankle. The feet fit closely together, like a lid on a box; hence the name. Usually repeated to the other side: jump off right foot onto the left and land with right foot in front of the left ankle. This movement is often done while turning and travelling.

 

en face ["facing"]. A position on stage facing directly forward, toward the audience.

 

en l'air ["in the air"]. Used to describe movements in which the working leg is raised a considerable distance off the ground. Antonym: terre-à-terre.

 

enchaînement ["chaining"]. A series of steps linked (chained) together.

 

entrechat ["braided, interwoven"]. A jump in which the dancer's legs cross each other--from fifth in front to fifth in back--several times in the air. The number of crossings is indicated by a number after the word, and each crossing is counted twice (once for going out from fifth and once for returning to fifth). In even-numbered entrechats, the dancer lands on both feet, in fifth. In odd- numbered ones, the dancer lands with one foot sur le cou-de-pied. For example, in entrechat quatre the dancer starts in fifth position. If the right foot is in front, he jumps, changes his feet to left foot in front and back, and lands with the right foot in front again. (I suppose you could call a simple changement an entrechat deux, but I've never heard this.)

 

épaulement ["shouldering"]. Rotation of the shoulders and head (relative to the hips) to add beauty or expressiveness to a pose, step, or movement.

 

étendre ["to stretch"]. One of the seven movements in dance (see movements.

 

extension. The ability to raise the working leg high in the air. Good extension comes from a combination of inborn flexibility and training.

 

==F==

failli ["giving way"]. 5th position, right foot front. Demi-plié, jump up vertically, feet together. Turn the body efface in the air. The body is lowered into demi-plié on the right foot, while the left leg, fully extended, is opened to 45 degrees in effacé back. Without hesitation, the left foot glides through first position and ends in croisé in demi-plié.

 

feet, positions of. There are five basic positions of the feet in ballet. 1: feet in line with heels together; 2. feet in line, heels apart (separated by about the length of one's foot); 3. feet touching, one foot in front of the other and overlapping by about half the length of the foot; 4. feet apart, separated about the length of a foot, one foot in front of the other; 5. feet touching, one foot in front, heel to toe and toe to heel. In a Cecchetti fifth, the feet do not overlap completely; in a Russian fifth, they do. Fourth position is sometimes qualified as an open fourth (like first position except for the separation of the feet) and a closed fourth (like fifth position except for the separation of the feet).

 

fondu ["melted"]. Any movement that lowers the body by bending one leg. In a plié, both legs support the body; in a fondu, only one leg supports the body.

 

fouetté ["whipped"]. Typically, a movement in which the working leg is brushed vigorously either forward or backward. You then use the inertia of the leg to turn the body around, so that the body turns 180 degrees away from the leg, which remains where it was.

 

fouetté en tournant ["turning fouetté"]. A turn in which a whipping motion of the working leg makes the body go round. Usually but not always done en dehors, which is the description that follows. The working leg opens to 2nd position at 45 degrees. The working leg whips in behind the calf of the supporting leg, while the arms come in, the body turns en dehors, and the supporting leg rises to releve. Quickly, the working foot is brought to the front of the calf and is opened to 2nd at 45 degrees while the working foot is lowered into demi-plié. While in this position, the arms open to second in preparation for a repeat of the movement. When you hear of "32 fouettés" in Swan Lake or some other ballet, this is what they mean.

 

frappé ["struck"], in full, battement frappé, "struck beat". Working foot rests lightly on the ankle of the supporting foot. Throw the working leg forcefully out to a dégagé position so that it strikes the floor 1/3 of the way out. Hold the leg out as long as possible, returning it to its initial position at the last moment. (Russian frappés start in tendu, darting to the supporting leg and back out again.) Can be done to the front, side, or back.

 

==G==

 

glissade ["glide"]. A connecting step. Start in plié; move the right foot out to pointe tendu; then move onto that leg, closing the left foot and landing in plié. Can be done in any direction.

 

glisser ["to glide"]. One of the seven movements in dance (see movements.

 

grand battement ["big beat"]. A "kick" in which the working leg is raised as high as possible while keeping the rest of the body still. "Kick" is in quotes because the battement should be a controlled lift, not a throwing of the leg into the air, and the leg must be controlled while coming down. The kicks one associates with a chorus line are grands battements. There's a terrific grand battement in W. C. Fields's short, "The Fatal Glass of Beer"--not (unfortunately) executed by Fields himself.

 

grand battement en cloche ["grand battement like a bell"]. Grand battements in which the leg swings continually between fourth position front and fourth position in back, the body being held erect.

 

grand jeté ["big thrown (step)"]. A long horizontal jump, usually forward, starting from one leg and landing on the other. In the middle of the jump, the dancer may be doing a split in midair. One of the most memorable of all ballet jumps; the dancer seems to float in the air, as a result of the shift of his center of gravity from the split.

 

jeté ["thrown"]. A jump from one foot to the other foot, throwing the working leg out. See petit jete and grand jete.

 

jumps. Jumps have been classified as follows: (1) from both feet to both feet (e.g. changements); (2) from both feet to one foot (e.g. sissonnes); (3) from one foot to both feet (e.g., assemblés); (4) from one foot to the same foot (e.g., temps levés); (5) from one foot to the other foot (e.g., jetés).

 

==M==

movements Early in ballet history some master analyzed all balletic movements into seven basic categories. These are: plier, to bend; étendre, to stretch; relever, to rise; sauter, to leap; élancer, to dart; glisser, to glide; and tourner, to turn. I do not know who first drew up this list; an early version is to be found in Feuillet's Chorégraphie which dates from 1700.

 

==O==

opposition. Movement (or position) of the arms in opposite direction to movement (or position) of the legs--as we move our arms when we walk.

 

==P==

pas. A step. Many of the common names of steps in ballet are adjectives (or participles) instead of nouns; these names have the word "pas" understood: thus, for example, "coupé" (which everybody says) is actually short for "pas coupé" ["cut step"] (which nobody says). Also used to refer to a dance, as pas de deux, a dance for two; pas de quatre, a dance for four.

 

pas de Basque ["Basque step"]. Starts in 5th position; assume right foot front. On the upbeat, demi-plié; the right foot glides forward in croisé and continues with a demi-rond de jambe en dehors to the side, while the left foot remains in plié. A small jump occurs onto the right foot in demi-plié. The left foot now glides through 1st position into croisé forward. On the final count, the weight is transferred to the left foot and a small jump is made to bring the feet together where the left one was placed. The movement finishes in 5th croisé.

 

pas de bourrée ["bourrée step," the bourrée being an old folk dance]. This term has at least two meanings. 1. One of the simplest connecting steps, used to link other steps in a combination. The commonest form is probably the pas de bourrée dessous. Assume your right foot is in front: left foot on half pointe; step on it and put your weight on it; move the right foot to the side, transfer your weight to it (also in relevé); move the left foot to the front of the right and put your weight on both feet in a plié. 2. (properly called pas de bourrée couru, "running pas de bourrée" or pas de bourrée suivi, "followed pas de bourrée"). A gliding movement by a dancer on pointe consisting of many very small steps taken with the feet close together. When a dancer uses bourrée as a verb ("Then you bourrée downstage"), she usually means pas de bourrée couru.

 

pas de chat ["step of the cat"]. A jump. Leap off the left leg, starting from a plié and raising the right leg into retiré. In midair, raise the left leg into retiré, too, so your legs form a diamond shape in the air. Land on the right leg with the left leg still in retiré; then bring it down, landing in another plié. In the famous dance in Swan Lake in which the four cygnets dance with interlaced arms, they do sixteen pas de chat.

 

pas de cheval ["step of the horse"]. Starting with the working leg in pointe tendu, draw it along the floor back to the supporting leg; then, without pausing, move it up to cou-de-pied and back out to pointe tendu in a small developpé. The step resembles the pawing of a horse.

 

passé ["passed"]. A movement in which the pointed foot of the working leg is made to pass the knee of the supporting leg. Frequently used--incorrectly--as a synonym for retiré.

 

penché ["leaning"]. A tilting of the body to achieve an exteme picture. An example is when the dancer is in an arabesque at 90 degrees. She then pushes her working leg upward and over, pushing the body down towards the supporting leg to achieve a much greater angle between legs, often resulting in a 180-degree split.

 

petit battement ["little beat"]. An exercise for speed and agility in the lower leg. In the starting position, the working leg is sur le cou-de-pied. It opens in the direction of 2nd position but only half way, as the leg does not fully extend at the knee. The working leg then closes to sur le cou-de-pied opposite of where it started (in back if it started in front and vice versa). Done repeatedly, back and front. The knee and thigh of the working leg stay in the same place and do not move during the exercise.

 

petit jeté ["little jump"]. A jump: brush the working foot out, hop off the supporting leg, and land on the working foot with the other foot sur le cou-de-pied behind. Can be done to the front, the side, or the back.

 

pirouette ["spin"]. A complete turn on one leg. The dancer usually goes round more than once. The raised leg is most commonly held in rétiré, but pirouettes with the leg in other positions are not uncommon. If the direction of the turn rotates the raised leg away from the front of the body, the pirouette is en dehors; if it rotates the leg toward the front, it is en dedans. The dancer spots (see "spotting") in order to avoid becoming disoriented. Pirouettes are usually fast, but supported pirouettes, in which a partner steadies the soloist, may be done very slowly.

 

placement. Roughly, alignment of the body. Becoming properly placed means learning to stand up straight, with hips level and even, shoulders open but relaxed and centered over the hips, pelvis straight (neither protruding nor tucked under), back straight, head up, weight centered evenly between the feet. This posture is frequently described as "pulled up," but it is also a relaxed posture; you aren't tensed up like a soldier standing at attention. (A teacher once said you should imagine that you are suspended by a thread attached to the top of your head. This suggests both the "pulled-up" and relaxed aspects of good ballet posture.) And as you dance, you seek to maintain this posture except when the step requires something different, like épaulement, or like the slight forward arch of the spine that accompanies an arabesque.

 

plier ["to bend"]. One of the seven movements in dance (see movements.

 

plié ["bent"]. Knee bends, done with the legs turned out. Normally the first exercise in a ballet class. Demi-plié ["half-bent"] is a shallow bend (in all positions but second, as far down as you can go without lifting the heels off the floor); grand plié ["big plié"] is a deep bend, down to where the thighs are almost horizontal. In all positions except second, the heels release from the floor in a grand plié.

 

pointe ["point"] (demi ["half"], quarter, three-quarter, sur les pointes ["on the points"]). The point of the foot. Demi-pointe, etc., refer to how far the heel is raised off the floor in a relevé. Definitions vary, but this will do for starters: quarter point is with the heel just off the floor; three-quarter point is a straight line from the knee to the ball of the foot. Demi pointe is half way between. Sur les pointes, or "on pointe," is on the tips of the toes--literally. Children should not be allowed to go on pointe until the bones of their feet are fully developed--typically about the age of 11 or 12.

 

pointe tendu ["stretched point (of the foot)"]. A position in which the working leg is stretched straight out in any direction with only the tip of the foot touching the floor.

 

port de bras ["carriage of the arms"]. 1. How a dancer uses his arms. 2. Specific movements of the arms, as first port de bras, second port de bras, etc. 3. Sometimes used instead of cambré. A grand port de bras is a circular bend, either toward the barre, then down, then up away from the barre, and then backward and back toward the barre: or the same thing in the opposite direction.

 

positions: see feet, positions of and arms, positions of.

 

positions on stage. See: Croisé, effacé, en face, écarté.

 

promenade ["walk"]. A pivot turn in which the dancer moves slowly around by shifting the heel of the supporting leg. The rest of the body may be in arabesque or attitude. In a supported promenade, the partner turns the soloist.

 

==Q==

quatrième ["fourth"]. Fourth position. (See feet, positions of and arms, positions of.)

 

quatrième, à la ["in the fourth"]. À la quatrième devant is with the working leg stretched out to the front; à la quatrième derrière is with the working leg stretched to the back.

 

==R==

relever ["to rise"]. One of the seven movements in dance (see movements.

 

relevé ["raised"]. A movement in which the heels are raised off the floor. The rise may be smooth or aided by a slight spring, depending on the school. A dancer in such a position is said to be "in relevé."

 

retiré ["withdrawn"]. A position in which the working foot is drawn up to the knee of the supporting leg. Also frequently (and incorrectly) called passé.

 

rond de jambe ["circular movement of the leg"]. A movement in which the working leg is made to describe a letter D about the supporting leg. May be done with the working foot on the floor or in the air. In a rond de jambe en dehors ("outward") on the floor, the working leg moves from first (or fifth) position to pointe tendu forward, makes a half circle to pointe tendu in back, and then returns to first, if the rond de jambe is to be repeated, and otherwise to first or fifth. A wonderful exercise for turnout. In a rond de jambe en dedans ("inward"), the direction of movement is reversed. In a demi rond de jambe, the working leg goes only half-way around, stopping in second position. A grand rond de jambe, is executed with the supporting leg in plié. A rond de jambe en l'air ("in the air") is done with the working leg raised off the floor, frequently at an angle of 90 degrees (parallel to the floor).

 

==S==

seconde, à la ["in second"]. In second position, i.e., to the side. (See feet, positions of and arms, positions of.)

 

sissonne [Named for its inventor]. A type of jump that has several forms, among them: sissonne simple, sissonne ouverte, sissonne fermée, sissonne fondue, and others. Not to be confused with ciseaux.

 

In sissonne simple, the most elementary form, the movement begins in 5th position. Jump straight up, with the legs together and the feet pointed. Land on one foot in demi-plié, with the other foot sur le cou-de-pied either in front or back (corresponding to whether the foot sur le cou-de-pied began in front or back--it does not change).

 

soubresaut ["sudden leap"]. A jump from both feet to both feet. Beginning in 5th croisé, the feet push off the floor so that the body flies forward with feet pointed and legs together. Before the jump, the body inclines forward, and then during the jump bends forcefully back, so that the legs remain at the back. The movement ends in 5th croisé. The arms are free and depend only on the design of what is being sought after; when studying, they usually begin in preparatory, come up to first during the jump, and end in preparatory again.

 

sous-sus ["under-over"] (or sus-sous ["over-under"]). A relevé in a tight fifth position with one foot almost on top of the other.

 

soutenu ["sustained"]. (a) Performed smoothly and slowly. (b) Also used to indicate a smooth détourné. For (a), can be: where from 5th position, the working leg is taken out to the front, 2nd position, or to the back, while the supporting leg is lowers to demi-plié. Then the supporting leg rises to demi or full pointe while the working leg is drawn into it, ending in a tight sus-sous position.

 

spotting. A technique for for keeping oriented and avoiding dizziness during turns. Pick a spot (some conspicuous object); keep looking at it as you turn until you can't any longer; then quickly turn your head so you are looking at it again.

 

sur le cou-de-pied. See cou-de-pied, sur le.

 

==T==

temps. Literally, "time," but perhaps "moment" would be better. A movement that forms part of a step. Grant says a part in which there is no transfer of weight, which raises some interesting questions about temps lié.

 

temps levé ["raised movement"]. Temps levé is the very simplest jump from one foot onto the same foot with the other foot raised.

 

temps lié ["joined movement"]. This is a term for a whole series of conventionally connected movements executed in the center of the room, often during an adagio. However, it is also the term for an independent form of a step.

 

In the basic form of the temps lié, stand in 5th position croiseé, arms in preparatory position. The working leg is drawn, without taking the toe off the floor, into croisé devant, while the supporting leg bends into demi-plié; simultaneously, the arms are raised into 1st position with the head slightly inclining towards the shoulder corresponding to the supporting leg. Then, the weight is transferred through demi-plié to croisé derrière onto what was the working leg. Here, both legs are completely stretched with the now working leg stretched toe to the floor in back. At the moment of weight transfer, the arm that corresponds to the now working leg is raised overhead, while the other arm opens sideward; the head turns towards the sideward arm. Finally, the working leg closes in 5th back; arms may remain or stay.

 

tendu ["stretched"]. See: battement tendu and pointe tendu.

 

terre-à-terre ["ground to ground"]. Used to describe steps in which the dancer's feet do not leave the floor. Antonym: movements.

 

travesti, en ["in disguise"]. Of a female dancer: dancing a male role in a man's costume; of a male dancer: dancing a female role in a woman's costume.

 

turnout. (rotation of the hips) The balletic stance in which the legs are rotated outward so that the legs (and feet) point in opposite directions. A dancer adopting this position is said to be "turned out." Usage varies, but most people seem to measure the degree of turnout by the angle between the foot and the mid-saggital plane of the body. The ideal, with both feet in a straight line, is thus 90 degrees of turnout. Turnout must begin at the hip. Forcing the feet and letting everything else follow puts severe strain on the joints, especially the knees, and defeats the purpose of turnout, which is to rotate the thigh bone to permit greater extension, especially to the side.

 

 

 

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