Ballet Terminology

Learn the language. Understand the practice.

Alignment & Body Awareness

Alignment How the different parts of the body are positioned in relation to one another. Good alignment helps the body move efficiently while maintaining control and stability.

Articulation Moving through different parts of the body with deliberate control. In ballet, this might include gradually moving through the foot from heel to ball to toes or carefully moving through the spine.

Balance The ability to maintain or regain control of the body’s position, whether still or moving.

Body Awareness The ability to notice your body’s position, movement, sensations, tension, and physical responses.

Center / Centering Finding physical stability and awareness within the body. In ballet, this involves maintaining control through the body’s center while the arms, legs, head, or entire body move.

Center of Gravity The point around which the body’s weight is balanced. As the body changes position, its center of gravity shifts, requiring the dancer to continually adjust to maintain balance.

Coordination The ability to organize different parts of the body so they work together smoothly and purposefully during movement.

Core Engagement The coordinated activation of muscles around the abdomen, back, pelvis, and trunk to help stabilize and support the body during movement.

Flexibility The ability of muscles and other soft tissues to lengthen, allowing the body to move through a range of motion.

Grounding Creating a sense of stability and connection through contact with the floor or another source of support. In ballet, grounding often begins with awareness of the feet, weight, and floor beneath you.

Kinesthetic Awareness Awareness of how your body feels as it moves. It involves recognizing movement, effort, position, and sensation from within rather than relying only on what you see in a mirror.

Mobility The ability of a joint or body part to move actively and with control through its available range of motion.

Muscular Engagement The intentional activation of muscles to support a position or movement without creating unnecessary tension.

Neutral Pelvis A position in which the pelvis is neither excessively tilted forward nor tucked underneath the body. A neutral pelvis helps support natural spinal alignment and efficient movement.

Posture How the body is held while standing, sitting, or moving. In ballet, posture includes an upright spine, supported core, relaxed shoulders, and intentional placement of the head and limbs.

Proprioception Your body’s awareness of where it is in space. It allows you to sense the position and movement of your arms, legs, and other body parts without having to look at them.

Range of Motion The amount of movement available at a particular joint—for example, how far the hip, ankle, shoulder, or knee can comfortably move.

Rotation The turning of a body part around its joint or axis. Ballet uses rotation throughout the body, most notably the outward rotation of the legs used for turnout.

Stabilization The body’s ability to maintain control and support around a joint or body position while movement occurs.

Turnout The outward rotation of the legs from the hip joints. In ballet, turnout begins at the hips rather than being forced through the knees, ankles, or feet.

Weight Distribution How body weight is shared between the feet or transferred from one part of the body to another. Awareness of weight distribution is important for balance, transitions, and controlled movement.

Breath & Conscious Movement

Breath Awareness The practice of noticing the breath without immediately attempting to change it. This may include observing its rhythm, depth, pace, or where movement of the breath is felt within the body.

Breath Cue A verbal or instructional prompt that brings attention to breathing during movement—for example, inviting an inhale during preparation or an exhale during a particular phase of an exercise.

Breath Holding A temporary pause or interruption in breathing. Breath holding can occur intentionally, but it may also happen unconsciously during concentration, effort, stress, or challenging movement. Conscious Ballet encourages awareness of unnecessary breath holding rather than judgment about it.

Breath-Led Movement Movement in which awareness of the breath helps inform timing, quality, pacing, or initiation. The movement does not simply happen while breathing; breath becomes part of how the movement is experienced.

Breath Pacing Using the breath as one source of information for determining the pace of movement. Rather than rushing to complete an exercise, practitioners are encouraged to notice whether they can maintain comfortable breathing as they move.

Breath Recovery Allowing breathing to return toward its natural rhythm following physical effort or a more demanding movement sequence.

Breath Rhythm The natural or intentionally established pattern of inhalation, exhalation, and pauses between breaths. In movement, breath rhythm can interact with musical rhythm and movement tempo without necessarily matching them exactly.

Breath-to-Movement Coordination The intentional pairing of an inhale or exhale with a particular movement or phase of movement. Rather than holding the breath during physical effort, practitioners are encouraged to explore how breath can accompany and guide movement.

Breathwork The intentional use of breathing patterns and breath awareness to influence how we experience movement. In Conscious Ballet, breathwork may be incorporated before, during, or after movement to encourage presence, pacing, body awareness, and connection.

Diaphragmatic Breathing Breathing that emphasizes movement of the diaphragm, the primary muscle of respiration. As the diaphragm contracts during inhalation, the abdomen and lower rib cage may naturally expand; during exhalation, they return. Sometimes informally called “belly breathing.”

Exhalation / Exhale The process of releasing air from the lungs. An exhale may be paired with effort, release, grounding, or completion of a movement.

Grounding The experience of directing awareness toward physical contact, support, and the present moment. At the barre, this may include noticing the feet against the floor, weight distribution, the hand against the barre, and the body’s relationship to gravity.

Inhalation / Inhale The process of drawing air into the lungs. Within Conscious Ballet, an inhale may accompany preparation, expansion, lengthening, or opening depending on the movement.

Intentional Breath The conscious choice to direct attention toward the breath or alter its timing, pace, or pattern for a particular movement or practice.

Interoception Awareness of signals originating from within the body, such as breathing, heartbeat, temperature, muscular tension, hunger, or internal sensations. In Conscious Ballet, developing interoceptive awareness can help practitioners notice their internal experience while moving.

Natural Breath Breathing without deliberately controlling its rhythm or depth. Returning to natural breath allows the practitioner to observe how the body is responding to movement without forcing a particular breathing pattern.

Presence Intentional awareness of what is happening in the current moment. Within Conscious Ballet, presence may include noticing the breath, body sensations, alignment, movement, environment, and emotional experience without requiring immediate correction.

Proprioception The body’s sense of its position and movement in space. Proprioception allows you to understand where your limbs and joints are positioned without necessarily looking at them—something particularly important in ballet.

Regulation The body’s ongoing process of responding and adapting to internal and external demands. Conscious Ballet incorporates breath, movement, pacing, repetition, and awareness as practices that may support regulation rather than promising to produce a particular emotional or physiological state.

Conscious Ballet Language

Choice The ability to make decisions about how you participate in movement. Choice may mean modifying an exercise, changing your range of motion, slowing down, taking a break, or choosing what feels appropriate for your body.

Intentional Movement Movement performed with awareness and purpose rather than simply going through the motions. It means paying attention to how you move, what you feel, and how your breath and body respond.

Movement Without Performance Pressure An approach to movement that allows you to practice without the expectation of performing, competing, or achieving perfection. The focus shifts from how movement appears to how it is experienced, while still allowing space for learning, technique, and growth.

Presence Bringing your attention to what is happening in the moment. In Conscious Ballet, presence means noticing your breath, body, movement, and surroundings as you practice.

Return to Center The practice of finding steadiness again after movement, imbalance, or change. In Conscious Ballet, returning to center can describe both physically regaining balance and intentionally reconnecting with your breath, body, and awareness.

Classical Ballet Terminology

Positions & Basic Placement

• Croisé — “Crossed.” A body position in which the legs appear crossed from the viewer’s perspective.
• Écarté — “Separated” or “thrown wide.” A diagonal body position with one leg extended to the side.
• Effacé — “Shaded” or “open.” A position in which the legs appear open rather than crossed.
• En face — Facing directly toward the audience or front of the room.
• Épaulement — Coordinated positioning of the shoulders, head, and upper body that adds dimension and expression to ballet positions.
• Fifth Position (Cinquième position) — Feet crossed and turned outward, with the heel of each foot aligned toward the toes of the opposite foot.
• First Position (Première position) — Heels together with the legs turned outward from the hips.
• Fourth Position (Quatrième position) — One foot placed in front of the other with space between them.
• Parallel — Feet and legs positioned without turnout, generally facing forward.
• Second Position (Deuxième position) — Feet turned outward and separated approximately one foot-length apart.
• Third Position (Troisième position) — One foot placed in front of the other with the heel of the front foot near the middle of the back foot.
• Turnout — Outward rotation of the legs initiated from the hip joints.

Fundamental Barre Movements

• Battement glissé — A quick brushing action in which the foot leaves the floor slightly.
• Dégagé (Battement dégagé) — “Disengaged.” The foot brushes from the floor and extends slightly into the air.
• Demi-plié — A partial bending of the knees while the heels remain on the floor.
• Développé — “Developed.” The working leg is drawn upward and gradually unfolded into an extended position.
• Élevé — Rising onto demi-pointe or pointe from straight legs.
• Enveloppé — An action in which an extended working leg folds inward toward the supporting leg.
• Fondu (Battement fondu) — “Melted.” A coordinated bending and extending of the supporting and working legs.
• Frappé (Battement frappé) — “Struck.” A sharp extension of the working leg from a position near the supporting ankle.
• Grand battement — A large brushing or throwing action of the working leg.
• Grand plié — A deep bending of the knees; the heels may lift from the floor in most positions.
• Plié — “To bend.” Bending the knees while maintaining appropriate alignment and placement.
• Relevé — “Raised.” Rising onto the balls of the feet or onto pointe, commonly from a plié.
• Rond de jambe à terre — A circular movement of the working leg with the toes maintaining contact with the floor.
• Rond de jambe en l’air — A circular movement of the lower leg while the thigh remains lifted.
• Rond de jambe — “Circle of the leg.” A circular movement of the working leg.
• Sous-sus — A tightly crossed position on demi-pointe or pointe, usually entered through a relevé.
• Tendu (Battement tendu) — “Stretched.” Extending the foot along the floor until the leg and foot are fully lengthened.

Positions & Actions of the Working Leg

• À la seconde — “To the second.” The working leg is positioned or extended to the side.
• Arabesque — A position in which the dancer stands on one leg while extending the other leg behind the body.
• Attitude — A position in which the working leg is lifted with the knee bent.
• Coupé — “Cut.” A position or action in which one foot replaces or cuts away the other.
• Derrière — Behind.
• Devant — In front.
• Extension — The action of lengthening a limb outward from the body.
• Passé — “Passed.” An action in which the working foot passes through retiré while traveling from one position to another.
• Retiré — “Withdrawn.” A position in which the working leg is bent with the toe positioned near the supporting knee.
• Sur le cou-de-pied — A position in which the working foot is placed around or near the ankle of the supporting leg.

Direction & Movement

• À terre — On the ground.
• De côté — To the side.
• En arrière — Traveling backward.
• En avant — Traveling forward.
• En croix — “In the shape of a cross.” Performing an exercise front, side, back, and side.
• En dedans — Inward; movement directed toward the supporting leg or inward toward the body’s center.
• En dehors — Outward; movement directed away from the supporting leg or outward from the body’s center.
• En diagonale — Traveling diagonally across the floor.
• En l’air — In the air.

Port de Bras & Upper Body

• Allongé — “Lengthened.” An elongated position or quality of the arms or body.
• Bras bas — A low preparatory position of the arms.
• Cambré — A bending or arching movement of the torso.
• En avant — Arms held rounded in front of the body.
• En haut — Arms held rounded overhead.
• Inclinaison — An inclination or tilting of the torso.
• Port de bras — “Carriage of the arms.” The coordinated placement and movement of the arms.
• Port de corps — Movement or carriage of the body.

Center & Traveling Steps

• Adagio — Slow, sustained movement emphasizing control, balance, extension, and musicality.
• Balancé — A rocking or waltz-like step involving transfers of weight.
• Chassé — “Chased.” A traveling step in which one foot appears to chase the other.
• Glissade — “Glide.” A traveling step in which the feet glide close to the floor.
• Pas de bourrée — A sequence of small steps involving transfers of weight.
• Pas de chat — “Step of the cat.” A jump in which the legs lift successively into bent positions.
• Pas de cheval — “Step of the horse.” A movement in which the foot is drawn upward and extended outward.
• Pas marché — A stylized ballet walking step.
• Promenade — A controlled turn of the body around the supporting leg while maintaining a position.
• Temps lié — A connected sequence of movements involving weight transfer and coordinated port de bras.
• Tombé — “Fallen.” A controlled transfer of weight onto another leg.

Turns

• Chaînés (Tours chaînés) — A rapid sequence of linked turns traveling along a path.
• Demi-tour — A half turn.
• Fouetté — “Whipped.” A family of movements involving a whipping action of the working leg.
• Piqué turn — A turn initiated by stepping directly onto a straight supporting leg on demi-pointe or pointe.
• Pirouette — A turn performed on one leg, generally on demi-pointe or pointe.
• Soutenu — A sustained turning action, often involving drawing the legs together while turning.
• Tour — A turn.

Jumps & Allegro

• Assemblé — “Assembled.” A jump in which one leg brushes outward and the legs join in the air before landing.
• Ballonné — A buoyant movement in which the working leg extends and returns as the dancer jumps or rises.
• Ballotté — A rocking or tossing step in which the legs alternate front and back.
• Brisé — A traveling beaten jump.
• Cabriole — A jump in which one leg beats against the other while airborne.
• Changement — A jump from fifth position in which the feet change places in the air.
• Échappé sauté — A jump in which the feet open from a closed position and return to a closed position.
• Emboîté — A traveling step in which the legs alternate in a fitted or “boxed” action.
• Entrechat — A jump in which the legs rapidly beat against one another in the air.
• Grand jeté — A large traveling leap from one leg to the other.
• Jeté — “Thrown.” A family of movements involving a transfer of weight through the air.
• Petit jeté — A small jump transferring weight from one foot to the other.
• Royale — A changement incorporating a beat of the legs before the feet change.
• Sauté — “Jumped.” A jump or an indication that a movement is performed with a jump.
• Sissonne — A jump from two feet that typically lands on one foot, with variations that may differ.
• Temps de cuisse — A jumping step involving a quick action of the working leg from cou-de-pied.
• Temps levé — A jump from one foot that lands on the same foot.

Pointe & Demi-Pointe

• Demi-pointe — Standing or moving on the balls of the feet with the heels raised.
• Échappé — “Escaped.” Opening the feet from a closed position into an open position.
• Pas de bourrée couru — A rapid sequence of tiny steps on pointe or demi-pointe that creates a gliding appearance.
• Piqué — “Pricked.” Stepping directly onto a straight supporting leg on demi-pointe or pointe.
• Pointe / En pointe — Supporting the body on the tips of fully extended pointe shoes.
• Relevé — Rising onto demi-pointe or pointe, often through a plié depending on the exercise and technique.

Musicality & Class Language

• Accent — Emphasis placed on a particular musical beat or movement.
• Adagio — Slow, controlled, and sustained movement.
• Allegro — Brisk or lively movement, particularly jumping combinations.
• Combination — A sequence of movements given by the instructor to be performed together.
• Count — A way of dividing music into beats to organize movement.
• Enchaînement — A combination or sequence of dance steps.
• Grand allegro — Large, expansive, traveling jumps and movements.
• Musicality — The dancer’s ability to interpret and respond to rhythm, phrasing, dynamics, and musical character.
• Petit allegro — Small, quick jumps emphasizing speed, articulation, and precision.
• Phrase / Phrasing — The organization of movement in relation to musical phrases.
• Tempo — The speed of the music or movement.

Performance & Movement Quality

• Aplomb — Stability, control, and confidence in maintaining the body’s placement.
• Articulation — Clear and deliberate movement through different parts of the body.
• Ballon — The appearance of lightness and suspension during jumps.
• Control — The ability to intentionally manage the body’s position and movement.
• Coordination — The ability to organize multiple body parts so they work together during movement.
• Dynamics — Variations in movement quality, such as sharp, sustained, soft, strong, quick, or fluid.
• Élévation — The dancer’s ability to rise or jump into the air.
• Épaulement — Coordinated use of the head, shoulders, and upper body to create dimension and expression.
• Extension — The action or ability to lengthen a limb outward from the body.
• Line — The visual relationship created by the dancer’s body and limbs.
• Placement — The organization of the body according to technical alignment principles.
• Transition — Movement connecting one position, step, or phrase to another.

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