Ballet Terminology - words mean things...sorta

[Lisa O`Brien]

We had to do Tire Bouchons during the Can Can at the Moulin Rouge. So,so difficult,and incredibly fast. I won`t even begin to describe how to do it. Oh and Pied A La Main. Foot in your hand,where you are either alone or with a partner and you hold on to your foot and have to hop around on yourself very fast,preferably while keeping hold of the foot. For our particular choreography it was almost impossible to do.We had to hold the leg out in front of us,but at waist height.Naturally the thing your leg wants to do is go high up as if you are "shouldering" it.To try and turn very fast holding on to one leg which can only be held at waist height [and trying not to stick your bum out] was almost impossible. My legs are very long.They are longer than my arms [which are also long]. How are you supposed to reach your leg ,holding on to it directly in front of you without having to bend forward in order to be able to grab the foot? OK,rant over.!

[Anjuli_Bai]

The interesting  thing about terminology.......the ballet terms are now used by many different dance forms.

 

Other forms of dance such as contemporary/modern, have no - or a fairly small amount - of set terminology and very often the ballet vocabulary is used.

 

Not having a set vocabulary, it can be difficult for a modern dancer to describe verbally the choreography to another dancer - say - over the phone.  This also makes it difficult for the dance critic to accurately describe a particular dance sequence in modern dance.

 

Though in ballet there may be differnt words to describe a particullar movement/step - it's close enough that one ballet dancer can describe choreography verbally to another dancer.

 

This is a very valuable tool.

[Dance_passion]

I think its not only ballet terms though that are confusing at times, descriptions of the step also varies from teacher to teacher, and can be confusing.

 

For example, I just took my RAD Adv 2 examinations not too long ago. During my pointe free enchainement, the examiner asked me to "drop" from my first arabesque en pointe. I automatically stepped through to pass my arabesque leg into a fondu, but the examiner kept saying "not step through but drop". And I am still confused. Can anyone shed some light on this? Thanks.

 

Ps. Not sure if this affects anything but the examiner is from Australia, if I am not mistaken, and she seems to be in her 50s. If this helps.

[Anjuli_Bai]

Could she have meant to come down from pointe while remaining in arabesque?

 

Or just lower the arabesque leg?

[Jan McNulty]

Hello Dance_Passion and welcome to the Forum.  We hope to hear more from you!

[Pas de Quatre]

Dance-Passion, my reaction would have been the same as yours, with a second idea the same as Anjuli.  However, having a little longer to think about it than you had, I wonder if her "drop" was meant to be "tombé", this would then be a tombé en arriere extending the front leg to degagé or en l'air devant.

[mimi66]

My reaction to Dance-Passion's example would be the 1st one on Anjuli's example.  I think it's becasue I learned ballet terms in French.  When I was young, even not-so-serious ballet classes used French terms. (But don't ask about the accecnt...  )

 

Dance-Passion's example illustrates well the downside of translating French ballet terms into English.  French is a bit more precise language than English, and I always thought it is a same now using French terms are not in vouge in ballet teaching.

 

Having lived in many countries and attended ballet  classes, it is actually great when you know the French terms.  Accent apart, you can understand what's going on in a class anywhere in the world.

 

Personally I feel it is more important for the younger people to learn French terms. It would help them to widen their options and opportunities beyond English speaking countries...

[mimi66]

oh, it's "shame" not "same" .  Sorry , I still haven't learn how to edit my posts! 

[Dance*is*life]

I agree that it is important to learn the French terminology.  Not teaching the basic steps is like expecting someone to learn a language without first learning some vocabulary.  I shall never forget a student who came to try out for our school (in the good old days when there was no competition in the town and we could hold auditions!).  I set a very simple enchainement - glissades,jetes, assembles, pas de bourees that sort of thing - she hadn't a clue what they were.  Having failed that test miserbly, she asked if she could show me a piece she'd prepared and proceeded to perform grand jete entrelace en tournement, fouettes (!) etc etc - you name the advanced step she stuck it in!   We still didn't take her I'm afraid.........