If you are a member of Dance Room Technique, you know that many of our workouts include ballet terms.
Our exclusive online training series is inspired by the fundamental movements and positions of classical ballet, and we thought it would be helpful to provide you with the definitions of all these terms.
Attitude: the position in which the dancer stands on one leg, with the other raised, usually in front (devant) or behind (derrière). The leg in the air is bent at the knee, and the supporting leg can be straight or in demi-plié.
Arabesque: the position in which the body is supported on one leg, the other leg being raised directly behind the body, in line with the shoulders, with the knee and toe extended.
The supporting leg can be straight or bent in a demi-plié, and the back leg must always be straight.
Fondu: The movement in which both legs flex at the same time, with the base leg resting on the sole and the active leg in a front or back coupe, and then both legs extend at the same time, with the base leg remaining either on the sole or on demi-pointe, and the active leg extending by lifting 45 degrees to the front, side or back.
Passé: The base leg will always be flat on the sole or demi-pointe, and the active leg will have the toe in line with the base knee, the knee will always be facing sideways (en dehors), the hips on the same line.
When working with the feet in 6th position, the passe will be closed with the knee facing forward.
Plié: A bending of the knees. A full knee bend is a grand plié, and a demi-plié is a half-bend of the knees. It is usually performed in positions 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6, both at the bar and at the center.
Remember that the knees will only be oriented along the line of the toes. The weight will be distributed equally on both legs, the hips remain on the same line, and the pelvis remains on the line of the heels.
Arm carriage: The graceful movement of the arms from one position to another.
Relevé: the dancer rises up appearing to be “on their toes” in a demi-pointe.
It can be done in all leg positions and on one or both legs, and also in positions such as arabesque or attitude.
Rond de Jambe: A circular movement of the leg on the ground or in the air.
Base leg: is the one that holds the most weight in any movement or position, the one you lean on.
Tendu: when the active leg remains en dehors and stretches forward, sideways, or backward along the floor, until only the toe remains in contact with the floor.
Active leg: the leg that performs a specific movement while the body weight is on the base leg.
