Terms to Know: Part 4

Developpé:  A movement in which the leg is first lifted to retiré position, then fully extended passing through attitude position. It can be done in front (en avant), to the side (à la seconde), or to the back (derrière).

Enveloppé: enveloped

Pirouette: Literally means to "whirl"; A controlled turn on one leg, starting with one or both legs in plié and rising onto demi-pointe (usually for men) or pointe (usually for women).

Petit Allegro: Petit meaning small.  Allegro meaning brisk, lively. A term applied to all bright, fast, or brisk movements.

Grand Allegro: Grand meaning large. Allegro meaning brisk, lively. A term applied to all bright, fast, or brisk movements.

Five Classes of Jumps

Saut(2-2): jump

Jeté(1-other): Throwing step. A jump from one foot to the other in which the working leg is brushed into the air and appears to have been thrown.

Temps Levé(1-same): a hop from one foot with the other raised in any position. The instep is fully arched when leaving the ground and the spring must come from the pointing of the toe and the extension of the leg after the demi-plié.

Assemblé(1--> 2):  launching into a jump, the second foot then swishes up under the first foot. The feet meet together in mid-air, and the dancer lands with both feet on the floor at the same time, in third or fifth position.

Sissonne(2--> 1): A jump done from two feet to one foot.

Terms to Know: Part 3

Frappé:  means to "strike", hitting the floor or an ankle with a moving foot.

Fondu: Sinking down. A term used to describe a lowering of the body made by bending the knee of the supporting leg. Saint-Léon wrote, "Fondu is on one leg what a plié is on two." In some instances the term fondu is also used to describe the ending of a step when the working leg is placed on the ground with a soft and gradual movement. 

Petit Battement(s): a battement action where the bending action is at the knee, while the upper leg and thigh remain still. The working foot quickly alternates from the cou-de-pied position in the front to the cou-de-pied position in the back, slightly opening to the side.

Grand Battement(s): powerful battement action where the dancer passes through dégagé and "throws" the leg as high as possible, keeping it straight, while the supporting leg also remains straight.

Rond de Jambe en l'air: in the air. The leg is lifted to the side, movement is only below the knee. If the thigh is horizontal, the toe draws an oval approximately between the knee of the support leg and the second position in the air. If the thigh is in the lower demi-position then the oval is to the calf of the support knee.