Ballet I Terms Essay

Submitted By npineda
Words: 1059
Pages: 5
Open Document
Natasha Pineda
Professor Simone di Pietro Reche
Ballet I
27 August 2013

1. Five positions of the feet
I. First (Premiere)- The feet form one line, heels touching to one another.
II. Second (Seconde)- The feet are in the same line as first position but with a distance of about one foot between the heels.
III. Third (Troisieme)- One foot is in front of the other, heels touching the middle of the other foot.
IV. Fourth (Quatieme)- The placement of the feet is similar to that in third, but the feet are parallel and separated by the length of one foot. This is the classical fourth position but it may also be done with the feet in first position, only separated by the space of one foot. The former is known as quatrieme position croisee, and the later is quatrieme position ouverte. Today the quatrieme position croisee is done with the feet placed in fifth, rather than third, position, parallel and separated by the length of one foot.
V. Fifth (Clinquieme)- The feet are crossed so that the first joint of the big toe shows beyond either heel. Sometimes the feet are completely crossed with the heel of the front foot touches the toe of the back and vice versa.
VI. Sixth- The feet are parallel with the knees, ankle bones, and big toes touching.
2. Positions of the arms(French method): the positions of the arms are not standard in all methods. The Cecchetti method has 5 standard positions. The French school has a preparatory position and five standard positions. The Russian school has a preparatory position and 3 standard positions.
I. Bras au repos- Preparatory position where shoulders are pushed down and arms are down and wrists are about hip-level
II. First- arms are bought up from the preparatory position with fingertips at about level with the belly button. Arms should be rounded as if holding a beach ball.
III. Second- arms are extended from the first position opening out. Shoulders, elbows, and wrists should descend downward.
IV. Third- one arm is in second position while the other is held at a high fifth position
V. Fourth- one arm is extended in high fifth and the other id extended at a first position.
VI. Fifth- arms are extended high from the first position. Arms are raised above the head, shoulders pressed down, arms imitating holding a beach ball
3. Plié - A bending of the knee or knees. There are two principal pliés : a grand plié or full bending of the knees and demi plié or half-bending of the knees.
4. Battement tendu- An exercise where the working foot slides from the first or fifth position to the second or fourth position without lifting the toe from the ground. Both knees are straight, and when the foot reaches the position pointe tendue, it returns to the starting position.
5. Battment degage/jette- This is similar to battment tendue, bit is done at twice the speed and the working foot rises a small amount from the floor with toes pointed. It then slides back into first or fifth.
6. Releve- Raised. A raising of the body on the points or demi-pointes from plié. You can releve smooth and continuous, or with a little spring.
Eleve- A releve but without the plié.
7. Fondu- Sinking down. A lowering of the body made by bending the knee of the supporting leg. It can also be the ending of a step when the working leg is placed on the ground with a soft and gradual movement.
8. Passé/ Retire- Withdrawn. A position were the thigh is raised to the second position with the knee bend and turned out. The toe rests in front of, behind or to the side of the supporting knee.
9. Pas de Bourree- A movement, executed on the balls of the feet or on pointe, in which the you either skim smoothly across the floor or transfer the weight from foot-to-foot three times as a transition into another movement. A pas-de-bourrée consists of bending both legs, extending one, then stepping up, up, down, finishing with bent knees.
10. Grand Battement- The working leg is raised from the hip into the air and brought
Show More

Related Documents: Ballet I Terms Essay

How Did George Balanchine Influence The World

George Balanchine is one of the most well-known dancers and choreographers in the world. He is known as one of the leading classical contemporary choreographers in the world (“George Balanchine”). He headed the USA’s first ballet school and created a ballet company which is still one of the best in the world. His works were very prominent during the 1950s and 1960s. Although George Balanchine had a great influence on dance in the 20th century, he was also very controversial. Balanchine was…

Words 1215 - Pages 5

How Ballet Changed My Life

I pressed my ear up against my bedroom door to make sure no one was downstairs. Once I knew the coast was clear, I delicately placed the gel covers on my toes and then slipped on the expensive, satin shoes. The ribbons were not stitched on yet, so I could not properly wear them. I stared in awe at these magical slippers. I had been dreaming of my first pair of pointe shoes for my whole life, and they were finally right in front of me. At this moment in time, I had no idea of the pain and sacrifice…

Words 577 - Pages 3

Essay Dance170 002 Assignment 3

character but also to the timing and rhythm of the dances as well. Hence the style of Petipa was definitely classical and ultimately followed the formal rules to ballet. Fokine on the other hand was more rebellious against the traditional conventions of his time, as he emphasized the beauty of the human body in poses not relevant to the style of ballet at the time; he strongly supported a complete unity of expression, rather than the traditional way performers expressed meaning through movements accompanied…

Words 596 - Pages 3

Ballet Journals Essay

Ballet Journals (term 3) Ashley Booth Lesson one One of the main focuses of todays lesson was basic technique. We concentrated on alignment, safe dance practice in ballet and body limitations. By this I mean, how far we can push our bodies with out being in risk of causing injury. Technique in ballet is the learning of movement and refers to a way of using the body in the correct alignment. Alignment in ballet refers to keeping the head, shoulders and hips vertically aligned. A dancer with good…

Words 2386 - Pages 10

Essay about Compare and Contrast Chinese Classical Dance and European Classical Ballet.

dance and European Classical ballet. Introduction: The main topic of my research paper is comparing and contrasting the difference between Chinese Classical dance and European Classical ballet. The questions I will develop in the paper included as follows. The first one is the difference of movement between Chinese classical dance and European Classical ballet. The second one is the difference of performance between Chinese classical dance and European Classical ballet. The third one is the difference…

Words 920 - Pages 4

Mia Deprince Narrative

names to Mia DePrince and Michaela DePrince. The two sisters did everything together, including taking ballet and piano lessons, but soon their different personalities emerged. Unlike Michaela, Mia’s passion was not ballet. Mia fell in love with the piano in the living room of her parents’ home, and the…

Words 1010 - Pages 5

School: Social Dance Essay

This is the story of school and how I got to survive the ninth grade. I have a little bratty sister and she is going to sixth grade but doesn't understand the importance of studying when you get into a higher grade level. My ninth grade year was pretty harsh for me because it was my freshmen year and it was a new school that's why maybe.Many people ask what is dance and what purpose does it serve, dance has numerous definitions and ways that it can be described with. The definition of dance is a…

Words 1018 - Pages 5

Describe The Genres And Styles Of Italian Secular Vocal Chamber Music

2012 Review Sheet – Test 4 Chapter 15: 1. Describe the genres and styles of Italian secular vocal chamber music in the early 17th c. 2. Name and briefly describe the most important genres and styles of instrumental music in the early Baroque period. Terms and names you should know: concerted madrigal fuga sonata da chiesa partita (or partite) passacaglia chacona, ciaconna toccata chorale prelude suite ricercare fantasia capriccio air de cour organ verse cori spezzatti prelude oratorio Kleine geistliche…

Words 483 - Pages 2

Billy Elliot Identity

However, in comparing Black Swan Green and Billy Elliot one is more successful. Billy Elliot is a film that follows the life of an 11-year-old boy, who is the son of a coal miner in Northern England. His life is forever changed when he notices a ballet class during boxing. This curiosity developed into a participation in classes, a love for the dance and a natural talent. Billy Elliot reflects adolescence, firstly in the opening scene, where Billy is found jumping on a bed. This highlighted how…

Words 1417 - Pages 6

Nutrition Essay: Why I Want To Change My Health

When I was younger I was constantly active. I took ballet classes, played softball and competed in soccer tournaments weekly. However, in high school I started to only focus on school and volunteering. At this present time I don't have a constant exercise program. I attend spinning and yoga classes with my sister but if she's not attending then I don't have a ride and can't go. We usually try and go once or twice a week for about two hours. I don't use a weight program. I am trying however to…

Words 324 - Pages 2