BALLET GLOSSARY
Can you name some of the movements in a ballet duo?
I’m looking for a glossary of terms and a description of each.
It’s for a script. Thank you.
This is a really long answer. I recommend that you watch some pas de deux on Youtube (look for Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and Le Corsaire). Check out this web page: http://www.the-ballet.com/pdd.php, and this glossary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_ballet Also be familiar with basic stage directions such as upstage, downstage, stage right, and stage left.
You don’t have to mention every step in a pas de deux in your script, but what terms you do mention, make sure you spell them correctly, including accent marks! That is the surest giveaway of your ballet knowledge. If you are unsure of any spellings or terminology, you can contact me via the email link in my profile.
Here is some basic information about pas de deux, which is the classical name for a dance for two in ballet.
A grand pas de deux is the big dance that the leading male and female do in the ballet, usually toward the end. It begins with the man and woman dancing together and is usually an adagio (slow). It may have steps like the following:
- promenade, when the male helps the woman turn slowly on one foot with the other extended in the air, such as in arabesque or attitude
- supported pirouettes, when the woman spins quickly several times on one leg while the man supports her at the waist
- lifts such as shoulder sit, fish, and bluebird (you can look up pictures of those)
- supported leaps and jumps such as grand jeté (large leap) and pas de chat (big jump where the feet tuck up and make a diamond shape in the air)
- poses in which the female uses the male for support, such as arabesque (standing on one leg with the other leg extended behind in the air), attitude (same as arabesque but with the leg bent), penchée (an arabesque or other pose but with the body tipped forward so the leg goes really high, creating a split in the air)
The man and woman may also dance in unison across the floor, doing jumps, leaps, and turns, along with linking steps.
The second part in the grand pas de deux is the male variation. This is all about big jumps and turns. It usually has steps such as:
- tour en l’air, a jump straight in the air off two feet in which the body makes a complete revolution – guys usually do two complete revolutions – before landing on two feet, one foot, or in a kneeling pose
- cabriole – a jump in which one leg rises, then the bottom leg rises to meet it (this is called a beat), then comes down, landing on the bottom leg – these can be done to the front or the back
- pirouette – guys usually do three or more fast revolutions on one leg
- entrelacé – a leap in which the dancer kicks one leg to the front as he jumps, then switches his body in the air and kicks the other leg to the back before landing on the original front leg
After the male variation is the female variation, which highlights pointework (dancing on the tips of the toes). These can be light and delicate or strong and powerful, slow or fast, but they often have some of the following
- balances on one leg (arabesque, attitude, or à la seconde, in which the leg is lifted high to the side of the body)
- bourrées, or pas de bourrée suivi (same step, most people use the short term) – tiny steps on the points, in which the feet move so fast that the dancer appears to glide across the stage
- turns (tours) in big poses – complete revolutions on one leg with the other extended in the air – attitude, arabesque, etc.
- hops en pointe – jumps in which the dancer takes off from the tips of her toes and also lands on the tips of her toes – these can be done on two feet or on one foot with the other extended in the air
- jumps and leaps such as saut de basque (a jump in which the dancer steps facing the back but flips in the air to face the front), grand jeté (big leap), temps levé (jump from a position that stays in that position during the landing)
- linking steps such as pas de bourrée, waltz turn, balancé, pas couru (running step)
- often the female variation ends in a menège, which is a series of turns that travel in a circle around the stage. These can include piqué turns (stepping on one leg and bringing the opposite foot up to the standing knee), chaînés turns (very quick turns in which the two feet are very close together and the dancer revolves half a turn each time she transfers her weight to one foot or the other), glissade en tournant or soutenu turns (a quick turn on two feet)
Following the female variation is the coda. This is the grand finale of the grand pas de deux and is usually done at a quicker tempo. It usually begins with the man doing some combinations of jumps and turns, including à la seconde turns (revolutions on one leg with the other extended to the side at hip height). Then the female comes in, also usually doing turns. They can be the same kinds of turns as in the menège but done across the floor en diagonale (on the diagonal), or they can be fouetté turns (repeated turns on one leg with the other
Ballet Assemble
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The Video Dictionary of Classical Ballet $24.99 An index of to over 800 classical ballet movements performed by principal dancers of leading ballet companies. Covers Russian, French and Cecchetti styles.Genre: Performing Arts – Ballet/DanceRating: NRRelease Date: 11-NOV-2003Media Type: DVD… |
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Visual Dictionary of Ballet For Children / Rosemary Boross $16.49 Studio: Kultur Release Date: 07/26/2005… |
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New York City Ballet Workout, Vol. 2 $12.98 NEW YORK CITY BALLET WORKOUT 2 – DVD Movie… |
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Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet (Dover Books on Dance) $1.78 From adagio to voyage, over 800 steps, movements, poses, and concepts are fully defined. A pronunciation guide and cross-references to alternate names for similar steps and positions that vary from the Russian to the French or Italian schools are also invaluable aids. “More information available in one book than we have ever had before.” — Dance Magazine…. |
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Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet $6.15 From adagio to voyage, over 800 steps, movements, poses, and concepts are fully defined. A pronunciation guide and cross-references to alternate names for similar steps and positions that vary from the Russian to the French or Italian schools are also invaluable aids…. |
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Dictionary of Classical Ballet Terminology $16.95 Dictionary of Classical Ballet Terminology (View amazon detail page) ASIN: 0952484803… |