BALLET GLOSSARY - YOU MUST LEARN THE WORDS FROM YOUR GRADE

Oct 1, 2026

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Ballet Glossary lists core ballet vocabulary organized by grade levels from Grade 1 through Grade 5. Each entry pairs a French movement term with a concise English definition, covering fundamentals such as plié, tendu, dégagé, demi, and retiré, then progressing to actions like en dehors/en dedans, relevé, ports de bras, and enchaînement. Higher grades add concepts including rond de jambe, arabesque, pas de chat, développé, pirouette, attitude, and sur le cou-de-pied, building a practical study set for revising previous material.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLifestyle

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time2 min

AccessFree to download

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

BALLET GLOSSARY – YOU MUST LEARN THE WORDS FROM YOUR GRADE AND REVISE WORDS FROM PREVIOUS GRADES GRADE 1 Degage – disengage/to release the foot from a closed to an open position Demi – half Plié – bend Battement – beat Tendu – stretch En croix – in the shape of a cross Grand – large Retiré – draw up Adage – slow movements Coupé – cut/to cut the weight of the body from one foot to the other Chassé – slide Fondu-melt/a bend on the supporting leg Glissade – glide Petit – small Jeté – throw Sauté – spring Echappé – escape Posé – step Temps levé – hop Devant – front Derriére – back En avant – travelling forwards GRADE 2 Assemblé – assemble/join together Soutenu – sustain/hold En arriere-travelling backwards En dehors – outwards En dedans – inwards Relevé – rise/a snatching of the feet Ports de bras – carriage of the arms Croisé – crossed Ouvert – open En face – facing the audience Passé – pass Enchainement – chain of steps/linking of two or more steps together Changement – change Soubresaut – simple jump without change GRADE 3 Rond de jambe – circle of the leg A terre – on the ground Arabesque – represents the shape of a bow/a position on one leg, the other in 4th opposite 1st a terre or en l ’air De côté – facing the side Demi-detourné – half a turn towards the back foot Pas de chat – step of a cat Pas de bourée – small running steps/consisting of three movements 5th, 2nd, 5th. Pas de basque – a step from the Basque country representing the swirl of a skirt Sissone – a scissor movement from two feet onto one foot GRADE 4 Developpé – unfold Frappé – strike/hit Pirouette – a spin on one leg En lair – in the air Attitude – a position on one leg, the other in 4th opposite 5th a terre or en l ’air GRADE 5 Sur le cou-de-pied – on the neck of the foot Epaulement – use of the shoulders with one shoulder forward the other back, the head over the front shoulder. The turn occurs across the upper back Ballonné – bounce Compose – a compound step with the accent on the outward movement Simple – a simple ballonee with the accent on the inward movement Demi contretemps – temps leve in arabesque followed by a chasse passe en avant Battu-beaten

FAQs

How is the ballet glossary organized?

The glossary is grouped by grade levels, starting from Grade 1 and continuing through Grade 5, with vocabulary items under each grade.

What do the glossary entries provide for each movement term?

Each entry shows a ballet term (often French) followed by a brief English explanation of its meaning or how it is performed.

Which Grade 1 movements are included in the glossary?

Grade 1 includes terms such as dégagé, demi, plié, battement, tendu, en croix, retiré, adage, coupé, chassé, fondu, glissade, jeté, sauté, échappé, posé, temps levé, and en avant.

Oct 1, 2026

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