pre el Flashcards
what are they called?
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
how many positions of the feet are there in ballet?
5
how many are open positions?
two: 2nd and 4th
how many are closed positions?
three: 1st, 3rd and 5th
how do you move from one position to another?
be means of a dégagé
what is a dégagé?
to push the foot along the floor into an open position, arching the i step and stretching the toe extremities fully, with only the big toe touching the floor.
if the weight is on the little toes, what does this cause?
the ankle drops, and causes the foot to sickle.
what is a battement tendu?
a stretching of the foot in an open position and returning to a closed position.
what does tendu mean?
to stretch.
what is a plié?
a bending and stretching of the knees, maintaining a controlled carraige throughout so that the weight of the body is kept centres throughout the movement.
which joints are used in a plié?
the hip, knee and ankle joints
how far down do you go in a full plié?
to where the thighs are horizontal
where are the knees in a plié?
pressed out to the side
where is the greater part of the weight placed in a plié?
on the outer side of the foot, but only as a precaution to stop the feet rolling onto the big toes.
how do you correct rolling in pliés?
by supporting the ankles and the under instep
what is the shape of a rond de jambe à terre?
an oval or egg shape
where are the two extreme ends of the oval?
4th deviant and derrière
which move to is emphasized and which is controlled in rond de jambe à terre?
as the foot passes through 2nd it is emphasised and through 1st it is controlled.
which part of the foot leads the way in all forward movements?
the heel.
which part of the foot leads the way in all backwards movements?
the toes.
how many kinds of rond de jambe à terre are there?
two. en dehor and en dedans.
what does en dehor mean?
outward, away from the supporting leg
what does en dedan mean?
inward, toward the supporting leg
what does à terre mean?
on the ground
what does rond de jambe mean?
round the leg
where are the extreme ends of the oval in rond de jambe en l’air?
2nd en l’air and the inside of the supporting leg
what does en l’air mean?
in the air
what is a fondu?
a bending of the supporting leg
what does fondu mean?
to melt
when does the supporting leg stretch in the battement fondu excercise?
both legs stretch and fully extend simultaneously
what does frappé mean?
to beat
which joints do we use in battement frappé?
the knee and ankle joints only.
what is battement frappé a preperation for?
all batterie work
on what part of the supporting leg does the best occur?
what is this called?
the thin part of the leg immediately above the ankle.
sure le cou-de-pies
what does sountenu mean?
to hold or sustain
which joint do we use in petits battement?
the knee joint only
what should be the thought concerning the working thigh in petits battement?
it should be pressed back and kept still throughout the excercise
what does grans battement mean?
large beating
what is a grand battement?
is the leg thrown or carried?
a throwing up of the leg en l’air and returning it to the ground
the leg is thrown upward but the downward movement is controlled
where does the strength come from when throwing the leg en l’air?
the under thigh muscle of the working leg and the stretch of the working foot
what should be heard during this movement?
how is this obtained?
a swishing sound as the foot leaves and returns to the ground
by pushing the foot along the ground strongly until the foot is fully arched going through a battement tendu and returning in the same manner
what is a développé?
an unfolding of the leg en l’air and holding it there
what is the value of développé?
to strengthen the legs and prepare the dancer for adage and other sustained movements
what is grand battement en cloche?
a continuos grand battement in 4th decant and derrière passing through the 1st where the heel is lowered
what does en cloche mean?
pendulum or bell movement
what is a temps lié?
a smooth transference of weight
what does temps lié mean?
connecting, joining of binding together
what does en avant mean?
travelling forward
what does en arrière mean?
travelling backward
what does port de bras mean?
carraige of the arms with the use of the head and body
what is épaulment?
a movement of the shoulders from the waist upward, one shoulder brought forward, the other taken back, and the head over the forward shoulder
what is a chassé?
a glide into an open position
what is an attitude?
a position in dancing with the weight of the body on one straight leg, the other behind in 4th croisé derrière
what is an arabesque?
a position in dancing with the weight of the body on one straight leg showing an oblique or diagonal line
how is this line obtained?
this is an imaginary line from the tip of the front leg, which is à terre or en l’air
what should be the shape of the body in this position?
curved like the arc of a now
what is the head action in a pirrouette?
this is called spotting, the eyes ‘spot’ where the dancer intends to finish. at the start the eyes and head remain on this spot for as long as possible. then the head turns quickly and the eyes focus on that same spot before the body completes the turn.
what gives the impetus to turn a pirrouette?
the outgoing arm opens to 2nd where it locks in the shoulder. this is then followed by the incoming arm into 1st position.
what is the correct placing of the working foot in a pirrouette?
the toes of the foot are placed directly under the knee of the supporting leg, not crossed over.
what does relevé mean?
to rise, either by instep pressure or by a snatch
with which part of the foot is a relevé executed?
the platform of the toes, with a fully arched instep. this is called a 3/4 point
what does adage mean?
slow, controlled movement
which arm is raised in 4th position?
the arm on the same side as the front foot
which art is raised in 4th opposition?
the arm on the side opposite to the front foot
what is a glissade?
a step and a glide
how many heels are lowered at the end of a glissade?
both
how do you finish a glissade?
in a demi plié
what is a coupé?
to cut the weight of the body from one foot to the other
what is an assemblé?
for a dancer it refers to the joining of the feet together, and is usually used for a preparatory step for elevation steps
what does porté mean?
carried
what is a posé?
a step from one foot onto the other
what does sauté mean?
to spring
what is a temps levé?
a hop alighting on a bending knee
how many kinds of échappé are there?
two: échappé sauté and échappé relevé
what is an échappé sauté?
a straight step of elevation from two feet, drawing the feet together before alighting in either 4th or 2nd in a demi plié
what is a échappé relevé?
an equal escapement of both feet on demi or full point
what is a petit allegro?
small, quick movements
what do the words pas de chat relate to?
the step of a cat
in which direction are pas de chats usually executed?
obliquely forward
what should be shown on the count of 2 in a pas de basque?
a strong dégagé derrière
what are the positions in a pas de bourree?
5th, 2nd, 5th
in which direction do ordinary pas de bourréé travel?
away from the commencing foot
with which part of the foot is a pas de bourree executed?
the first two steps are on the toes, the third is flat
what are the words used to describe a pas de bourréé devant?
front, side, front
what are the words used to describe a pas de bourréé derrière?
behind, side, behind
what does dessous mean and what words are used for this pas de bourréé?
under- behind, side, front
what does dessus mean and what words are used for this pas de bourréé?
over- front, side, behind
what does em tourant mean?
to turn
what is a fouetté?
a short, sharp whipping movement
what is a sissonne?
a soft step of elevation
how many kinds of sissonne are there at this standard?
three
what are they?
ordinare, ouverte and ferme
what is a sissonne ordinaire?
a soft step of elevation from two feet, alighting onto one foot with the working foot reaching it’s highest point as the dancer alights on the supporting leg
how many ordinaire are there?
four; devant, derrière, passé en avant and passé en arrière
what is a sissonne ouverte?
a soft step of elevation from two feet, alighting on one foot with the working leg extended into an open position
what does fermé mean?
closed
what is a petit batterie?
small, beaten steps, which are executed with speed and a minimum of elevation
which foot does the most work in batterie?
the back foot
what is an échappé sauté battu?
an entrechat quatre alighting in 2nd position
when does the best occur in a changement battu or royale?
before the changement
in assemblé porté, what does the word porté mean?
to be carried or sustained
what is the essential feeling in all pointe work?
uplift and lightness
how is this obtained?
by breathing correctly- taking a breath before rising
how do you descend from pointes softly?
by supporting the back and not exhaling quickly
in échappé, with 4th position of the feet do we use?
4th croisé
what is the essential movement of the supporting leg in all relevé sur la point?
to draw it under the centre of the body
why is this movement necessary?
to support the weight of the body
how do you achieve strong point work?
by fully arching the instep to enable work on the correct part of the point shoe, making sure the ankles are strong
what must be avoided?
rolling back on the little toes, also rolling on the big toes, both on point and while alighting
what is the essential feeling in the legs?
to stretch fully up the back of the knees and the under thigh muscles
