G.W. Carver Magnet High School
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    • Class Resources >
      • Dance History >
        • Dance History Research Project
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      • Modern Vocabulary
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        • Movement Qualities and Dynamics
        • Ways to Manipulate a Motif
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Ballet Terminology

website with visible descriptions:
http://www.abt.org/education/dictionary/index.html

turn-out - legs rotating outward, away from the belly button. the backs of the knees are facing each other, the knee caps are pulled up, the gluteus is tightened, the inner thighs are working to face each other. (remember, turn-out is something you DO, not something you HAVE!)
plié - bend or fold
demi-plié - half-fold. the heels remain on the floor as the dancer bends the knees to the halfway down point.
grand plié - the dancers bends the knees as much as possible, lowering the hips over the feet. (in second position, the heels remain on the floor as the hips lower)
battement - beat
tendu - tensed or tight
jeté - thrown
rond du jambe - rounding of the leg
arabesque - standing on one leg with the other leg extended to the back.
piqué - pricked, poked
fondue - melting, melt
frappé - strike, struck, stricken
port de bras - carriage of the arms. a series of movements made by passing the arms through various positions.
adagio - slow



allegro - fast (includes jumps and turns)
temps lié - connected movement. a change of position from one foot to the other.
pas de bourrée - a series of steps traveling and changing feet. (usually fifth, second, fifth).
temps levé - time raised. (a jump without changing feet)
assemblé - assemebled or joined together. a jump from one foot landing on two feet simultaneously.
pas jeté - a jump from one foot to the other in which the working leg is brushed into the air and appears to have been thrown.


coupé - cut
croisé - crossed
effacé - shaded (all the body is visible to the audience when oriented to the corner)
en face - facing (body oriented directly to the front)
écarté - separated, thrown wide apart. (a position with the leg extended to the side while the body is facing a corner.)
devant  - in front
derriere - behind
retiré - resting (toe attached to leg at the knee)
en dehors - outside (away from the standing leg)
en dedans - inside (toward the standing leg)
allongé - elongated


v

(MORE WORDS WILL BE ADDED AS WE LEARN MORE TERMINOLOGY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR!)

POSITIONS OF THE FEET:

first - heels touching, toes pointed away from the belly button
second - feet apart, heels across from each other and underneath the hip bones, toes pointing away from the belly button 
fourth - feet are one in front of the other with a few inches between them (approximately 1 foot length). the heel should be directly across from the toes of the opposi te foot on each foot. the toes are pointing away from the belly button.
fifth - the heel of the opposite foot is connected to the end of the toe of the other foot. the toes are pointing away from the belly button

ORDER OF CLASS:

at the barre
  1. plié
  2. battements tendus
  3. battements tendus jetés
  4. ronds du jambe
  5. battements fondus
  6. battements frappés and petits battements
  7. ronds du jambe en l’air
  8. adagio
  9. grands battements jetés
in the center
  1. adagio
  2. battements tendus
  3. turns
  4. petite allegro
  5. medium allegro
  6. grand allegro
  7. reverance
  8. pointe work
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  • G. W. Carver High School
  • Class Information
    • Syllabus
    • Class Resources >
      • Dance History >
        • Dance History Research Project
      • Ballet Vocabulary
      • Modern Vocabulary
      • Basic Elements of Choreography >
        • Movement Qualities and Dynamics
        • Ways to Manipulate a Motif
    • Dress Code
  • Carver Dance Company
    • CDC Parent and Student Handbook
    • CDC Photo Gallery
    • CDC Video Gallery
    • National Honor Society for Dance Arts
    • Archives
  • Aldine Dance Company
    • Class Uniform
    • Class Schedule