Art of Stage Dancing — Chapter 15: Terms Used in Ned Wayburn's Modern Americanized Ballet Technique
[Illustration] _Arabesque_--A posture executed with one foot on the floor.
_Assemble_--To bring the feet together.
_Attitude_--A posture executed with both feet on the floor.
_Balance_--A combined slide (glisse), closing of the feet, rising on the toes and lowering of the heels.
_Changement de Pied_--Changing the position of the feet.
_Chasse_--A chasing step in three movements: Slide (glisse), cut (coupe), slide (glisse).
_Ciseaux_--The scissors step: A point and swing with one foot while hopping twice on the other.
_Coupe_--To cut.
_Degager_--To sway; to transfer.
_Demi Pas de Basque_--A half or incomplete pas de basque.
_Ecarte_--To jump from a closed position, open the feet in the air, and land in a closed position.
_Echappee_--(Escaped.
) Any changement done on the toes.
_Elever_--To rise on the toes.
_Entrechat_--To spring into the air and change the position of the feet as often as possible before landing.
_Fouette_--A swinging of the leg.
_Frappe_--To stamp the foot.
_Glisse_--To slide.
_Glissade_--Three movements combined: Elever (to rise on the toes), glisse (to slide), assemble (to close the feet).
_Grand Battement_--High beating.
_Jete_--To leap or throw the weight from one foot to the other.
_Movement_--An activity of the body from a resting position; also a change from one activity to another.
[Illustration: THE BIRTH OF VENUS] The nine standard dancing Movements are: (1) _Droit_--to swing the foot forward and backward;
(2) _Overt_--to swing the foot from right to left;
(3) _Glisse_--to slide;
(4) _Tourne_--to turn;
(5) _Tortiller_--to twist;
(6) _Battu_--to beat;
(7) _Saute_--to hop;
(8) _Jete_--to leap;
(9) _Coupe_--to cut.
_Pas_--A step.
_Pas Ballonne_--A combination of hop, step, hop.
_Pas Boiteaux_--A limping step in three movements: Hop on right foot and raise left leg forward with the knee straight; step forward on left foot; step forward on right foot.
_Pas de Basque_--A step of three movements: Demi rond de jambe, jete (describe half circle in air with leg, leap); glisse (slide); coupe (cut).
_Pas de Bourree_--(Stuffing step.
) Three little steps on ball of the foot.
_Pas de Chat_--(Cat step.
) Four sideward movements: Leap, slide, step, step.
_Pas Marche_--(Marching step.
) Four movements: step, swing, step, close.
_Pas Sissonne_--Imitation of opening or closing of a pair of scissors, done by bending in fifth position, hopping to one side, at the same time lifting opposite leg in second position; then leg down in front and assemble in front with the leg that did the hop.
_Petit Battement_--Low beating.
_Petit Battement avec Port de Bras_--Low bending [Transcriber's Note: beating?
] with arm movements.
_Petit Battement sur le Cou de Pied_--Small beatings around the ankle.
_Petite Rond de Jambe_--Small foot circles described on the floor.
_Plier_--To bend the knees.
_Pirouette_--An artistic turn executed on one foot.
_Pointe_--The toe.
_Port de Bras_--Carriage of the arms.
The five arm movements are: Bending, stretching, raising, lowering, turning.
_Rond de Jambe_--Circles in the air executed by the leg.
_Saute_--To hop.
_Step_--A placing of the foot in any direction and transferring the weight onto it.
_Terre a Terre_--A series of pas de bourrees of four or more steps.
_Three-step Turn_--A complete turn, right or left, in three steps.
_Tortiller_--To turn or twist the leg.
_Tour de Basque_--A basque turn; pirouette de basque.
_Tour Jete_--Jete with a turn; one step sideward to right, one leap and complete turn; one step sideward onto right foot.
_Tour Saute_--One step, one hop, turning completely around in direction of the step.
MR.
WAYBURN ADDRESSES THE BEGINNERS' CLASS IN BALLET TECHNIQUE
