ADAGIO-A dance designed particularly to enable a ballerina, generally assisted by a male partner, to display her grace, sense of line, and perfect balance. Also a generic term for a series of exercises designed to develope grace, sense of line, and balance, particularly when the body is supported on one foot.
ARABESQUE-A pose in which the dancer raises one leg, with the knee straight, directly behind the body.
ATTITUDE-A pose in which the dancer raises one leg directly behind the body with the knee bent at a right angle. The knee is then as high or higher than the foot, and the foot points to the dancer's side.
BALLERINA-A principal woman dancer of ballet company; PRIMA BALLERINA-The star dancer.
BALLET BLANCorWHITE BALLET.-A ballet in which the dancing is considered purely classical. The name comes from the white costume worn by Marie Taglioni in 'la sylphide'. Works of this type include Fokine's 'Les Sylphides' and Balanchine's 'Serenade'.
BALLON-The ability to hold a pose in the air.
BARRE-A wooden pole, fixed horizontally to the wall of a practice room, that dancers hold for support in certain exercises.
CHOREOGRAPHER-A person who composes ballets or other dances. In the 18th century the term referred to the person who recorded the steps in a ballet by a system of dance notation.
CORPS DE BALLET-Those dancers who perform only in group numbers.
DANSEUR-A male dancer;PREMIER DANSEUR-The star male dancer.
DANSEUSE-A female dancer.
DIVERTISSEMENT-A group of short dances inserted into a classical ballet. The usually have little or nothing to do with the plot.
ELEVATION-The ability to jump high.
ENTRACHATA jump in which one foot crosses in ront f the other and then behind while the dancer is in the air. Entrachats are numered from deux to dix (two to ten) according to the number of movements performed with each crossing of the legs counted as two movements.
FOUETTE-A turn in which the dancer, standing on one foot, uses the other leg in a circular whiplike motion to pull the body.
JETEA jump from one leg to the other;GRAND JETE-A great jump.
MAITRE DE BALLETorBALLET MASTER-A person generally associated with a specific company, who composes ballets and other dances and who is responsible for the training of dancers and the maintenance of their technique.
PAS-A single step or combination of steps forming a dance;PAS DE DEUX,-A dance for two persons that in classical ballet has an adagio, in which the male dancer supports the ballerina in slow movements; a solo dance for each; and a coda, or ending, in which the couple dance apart and together with all their technical skill.
PIROUETTE-A coumplete turn on one foot with the swing of an arm providing the force.
PLIE-A full bending of the knees in any of the five positions. I all positions but second and fourth ouverte the heels will come off the ground;DEMI-PLIE,-a half bending of the knees without raising the heels off the ground at any time.
PORT DE BRAS-A generic term for a group of exercises designed to make the armes move gracefully. The term also refes to any movement of the arms.
TUTU-The very short skirt that was first worn by ballerinas in Romantic ballets of the 19th century.
VARIATION-A solo dance in a ballet.
Information from CAMTON'S ENCYCLOPEDIA
