Ballet Technique Demi Pointe- High on the Balls of the Feet
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Intermediate Dance Ballet Unit Guide Name:____________ Pd. __ Ballet Technique Demi Pointe- High on the balls of the feet. Demi Plie- Half bend of the knees. Port de Bras- Carriage of the arms. Tendu- Stretched, to point. En Bas- Low (arms). Degage- To disengage. En Haut- High (arms). Devant- Front. Rond de Jambe- Round of the leg, circular movement. A la Seconde- To the second (side). Derriere- Behind, back. Fondu- To melt. En Croix- In a cross (front, side, back, side). Developpe- To develop, developing movement. Reverence- Curtsey. Grand Battement- Large beat. Passe- To pass, passed. Releve- To rise to the balls of the feet from plie. Pirouette- Spin or whirl. Cou de pied- “Neck” of the foot, wrapped. ● En dedans- Inside. Sous Sous- Over, under. ● En dehors- Outside. Saute- to jump, jumped. Chaines- Series of rapid turns, chain, link. Attitude- Position on one leg, other lifted in Chasse- Chased. back, the knee bent at an angle of 90 degrees Tombe- To fall, falling down. so that the knee is higher than the foot. Pas de Bourre- Back, side, front. Bourre step. Arabesque- The position of the body supported Grand Jete- Large throw. on one leg with the opposite leg extended (straight) behind the body. Pas de Chat- Step of the cat. Saut de Chat- Jump of the cat. A series of slow, fluid exercises to develop the dancer’s balance, strength and grace. *Adagio- Dynamic Alignment- Support of the skeletal system. Moving in a safe and healthy way for your body. Romantic Ballet From Italian roots, ballets in France and Russia developed their own stylistic character. By 1850 Russia had become a leading creative center of the dance world, and as ballet continued to evolve, certain new looks and theatrical illusions caught on and became quite fashionable. Dancing on pointe became popular during the early part of the nineteenth century, with women often performing in white, bell-like skirts that ended at the calf. Pointe dancing was reserved for women only, and this exclusive taste for female dancers and characters inspired a certain type of recognizable Romantic heroine whose pristine goodness and purity inevitably triumphs over evil or injustice In 1832 the production of La Sylphide was performed. The Sylph- a mystical fairy like creature captured the audience. This is also when the “tutu” was born when the women were dressed in lengthy, elegant skirts. Such a costume was originally called a “romantic tutu” due to the willowy look it gave the ballerinas. Today it can take as long as ninety hours to create one professional tutu. The Russian Classics The Russian Classics occurred during the late 1800’s. Petipa composed full length productions that introduced the pas de deux or dance for two. Tutu’s became rigid and fashionable. It was during this Russian Classics time that we were given such greats as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker. By the end of the 1800’s, Russia had pulled into the lead as artistic heart of the ballet. .