Beginning Ballet Vocabulary ​Once Upon A Ballet™ While it is up to the school and/or teacher as to how well their students know the French terms of the ballet steps they practice during class, at Once Upon A Ballet, we want to encourage as much use of the correct French terms as possible during class--particularly beginning in Ballet 1. This resource is a guide to the ballet steps learned in Ballet 1 (according to the Once Upon A Ballet Curriculum). Translations and descriptions are provided for each step for teachers. Activity sheets are provided at the end of this guide for students. Several excellent (and free) online ballet dictionaries include: ● American Ballet Theatre’s Ballet Dictionary: ​http://www.abt.org/education/dictionary/ ● Royal Opera House Ballet Glossary: ​http://www.roh.org.uk/learning/learning-platform/unit/ballet-glossary/ ● Royal Opera House Ballet Glossary Video Playlist: ​https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7E40E6E2DAB561B5 ● BalletHub’s Ballet Term Dictionary: ​https://ballethub.com/ballet-terms-dictionary/ TERMS, TRANSLATIONS + TEACHER GUIDANCE Demi Plié Translation: To bend; a half-bend of the knees Students should be able to do a simple demi plié in 1st, 2nd, and 5th positions while keeping their heels on the floor and backs straight Battement Tendu Translation: To stretch Students should be able to tendu to the front, side and back from 1st position. Tendus should be introduced in a slow tempo with emphasis placed on rolling through the demi pointe. Later in the year, students should also be introduced to tendu front, side and back from 5th position. Battement Soutenu Translation: Sustained From 1st position, students should be able to slide their working leg to tendu while bending their standing leg en fondu, then straightening their standing leg as they close the working leg into 1st position. Soutenu should first be learned to the side. Once students are able to execute soutenu to the side while correctly holding the turnout of their standing leg, soutenu may be introduced to the front. Soutenu is not introduced to the back for this age group. Later in the year, students may also perform soutenu to the front and side from 5th position. Battement Dégagé Translation: Disengaged Degagé should be introduced from 1st position as tendu-lift-tendu-close. Soon after, it should progress to brush (into the degagé position), hold, point to tendu, close. After that, degagémay be done as brush-hold-close. The brushing action should be sharp. Including the hold when introducing degagé allows students to focus on the sharp action during the brush. Degagés should be done to the front, side and back from 1st position. Later in the year, students may also perform degagé to the front, side and back from 5th position. Battement Piqué Translation: To prick Once battement degagé has been introduced, battement piqué may be added. Battement piqué should be a quick, sharp motion, as if the toes are “pricking” the floor. Rond de Jambe à Terre Translation: Circular movement of the leg Rond de jambe à terre should first be introduced as a quarter rond de jambe: front-side-close, side-back-close, back-side-close, and side-front-close. Ronde de jambe should be introduced as half circles after quarter rond de jambes are introduced. Once Upon A Ballet™ 1 Sur le Cou-de-Pied Translation: On the “neck” of the foot Sur le cou-de-pied refers to the position of the foot pointed or wrapped at the ankle. Students should be able to perform sur le cou de pied, from standing in 1st position, through the demi pointe, and into sur le cou de pied, back through the demi pointe, and finish standing in 1st position. Students should be introduced to sur le cou de pied front, wrapped, and back. Retiré Translation: Withdrawn, to retire In order to better facilitate proper hip alignment and turnout, we often have students tendu front from 1st position, bring the leg to retire front, return to tendu front, then close in 1st. Once students can execute retire from a tendu, they may be introduced to retire from sur le cou de pied. Retiré is only be done in the front so that the toes of the working foot are at the front of the standing knee in this level. Grand Battement Translation: Large battement For this age group, grand battement should be done as tendu-kick-tendu-close. In addition to the legs and feet, special attention should be paid to the student’s upper body to ensure students retain correct ballet posture while executing grand battement. Adagio Translation: Refers to a slow movement Développé is not introduced at this level. However, adagio, performed as slow and fluid movements should be introduced. Adagio is typically done as a slow, fluid version of grand battement to the front and side from 1st position. Relevés Translation: Raised Relevés should be done in 1st, 2nd and 5th (as sousus) at the end of barre as a preparation for and to build strength for jumps. At this level, sautés (in 1st and 2nd), échappés, soubresauts, and changements should be done at the end of barre with relevés.. Attention should be given to the plié done before and after each jump--that the heels are down and proper turnout is used (the knees are kept out over the toes). Jumps should be introduced as plié-jump-plié-stretch, etc. in order to ensure proper technique is used. Port de Bras Translation: Movement of the Arms Students should be able to do the following arm positions: en bas, 1st, 2nd, and 5th. Students should be able to do a simple port de bras from en bas through 1st, then 2nd and back to en bas, as well as port de bras moving from en bas, through 1st, then 5th, 2nd, and back to en bas. For additional port de bras practice (for quality of the arms and hands), students may lift the arms to the side, bend the arms slightly, then push both arms out long to the sides. In addition, tissues or scarves may be held between the thumb and middle finger of each hand during port de bras exercises to aid in proper finger and hand placement and movement quality during port de bras. Balancé Translation: To rock or swing Students should be introduced to balancé at this level. Balancé should first be introduced as a down-up-down step. This can be done with little marches in parallel (stepping down on the right foot, up on the left, down on the right, then down on the left, up on the right, down on the left--in a kind of step-ball-change manner). Once the rhythm has been established, the step can move from side to side in parallel. Then turnout can be added from sided to side. Finally, paying attention to stretching the leg and pointing the toes on the steps out to the side should be added. Sautés Translation: To jump Students should be able to do a simple sauté in parallel, keeping the legs together while in the air. They should also be able to do a simple sauté in 1st and 2nd position. At this level, regardless of the position, sautés should be most often be done as plié-jump-plié-stretch, plié-jump-plié-stretch, etc. This helps the students better develop proper turnout and posture. Échappés Translation: To escape Once students have been introduced to sautés, they may also be introduced to échappés from 1st position. When teaching students to échappé, we recommend doing so similar to sautés: plié / jump / land in 2nd position plié / stretch / plié / jump / land in 1st position plié / stretch. Once Upon A Ballet™ TERMS + TRANSLATIONS Demi Plié Translation: To bend; a half-bend of the knees Battement Tendu Translation: To stretch Battement Soutenu Translation: Sustained Battement Dégagé Translation: Disengaged Battement Piqué Translation: To prick Rond de Jambe à Terre Translation: Circular movement of the leg Sur le Cou-de-Pied Translation: On the “neck” of the foot Retiré Translation: Withdrawn, to retire Grand Battement Translation: Large battement Adagio Translation: Refers to a slow movement Relevés Translation: Raised Port de Bras Translation: Movement of the Arms Balancé Translation: To rock or swing Sautés Translation: To jump Échappés Translation: To escape Once Upon A Ballet™ Word Scramble IOEPRTTEU ÉBCALNA ERBQAASEU AÉTSU CPAHPÉÉ SAHSÉC Can you unscramble each of the ballet terms above? Hint: These are ballet steps most often performed during centre. TM Once Upon A Ballet Word Search 1 A O R N J F S A U T E A A U T E A H D B E A R H A D Z R W A G N Y E D E G A G E O F D A Q E C H A P P E A U Y U G A A A W I A A A P T A A A A Q Q A A L A R E L E V E U A I A A R E T I R E E E A A A PLIE RELEVE TENDU RETIRE DEGAGE SAUTE PIQUE ECHAPPE TM Once Upon A Ballet Word Search 1 A O R N J F S A U T E A A U T E A H D B E A R H A D Z R W A G N Y E D E G A G E O F D A Q E C H A P P E A U Y U G A A A W I A A A P T A A A A Q Q A A L A R E L E V E U A I A A R E T I R E E E A A A PLIE RELEVE TENDU RETIRE DEGAGE SAUTE PIQUE ECHAPPE TM Once Upon A Ballet Word Search 2 A O R N D F S Y U H E A D U T E E H D B E A R H A D Z R G A A N B E D A G A I A A L D A Q E C T I P P E G U L U G A W A O Y A N E A P O R T D E B R A S N S O U T E N U A E A C R O N D D E J A M B E PORT DE BRAS DEGAGE BALANCE SOUTENU ADAGIO ROND DE JAMBE TM Once Upon A Ballet Word Search 2 A O R N D F S Y U H E A D U T E E H D B E A R H A D Z R G A A N B E D A G A I A A L D A Q E C T I P P E G U L U G A W A O Y A N E A P O R T D E B R A S N S O U T E N U A E A C R O N D D E J A M B E PORT DE BRAS DEGAGE BALANCE SOUTENU ADAGIO ROND DE JAMBE TM Once Upon A Ballet.