Leaps & Lies

Glossary

Arabesque: A ballet position in which the weight of the body is supported on one leg, while the other leg is extended in back with the knee straight.

Artist residency/Artist-in-residence: Artist residencies provide artists, performers, and creative professionals the time, space and resources to work, on the research and development of their practice outside of their typical environment. For performers, this may involve teaching or hosting workshops rather than performing.

Barre: A stationary handrail that supports dancers in ballet training and warm up exercises.

Cha?nés: Cha?nes turns are turns that are performed “in a chain” when a dancer lifts onto relevé and then pivots from side to side, traveling over a distance.

Corps de ballet: These are the lowest ranked dancers and are perform as the ensemble of a ballet company.

Cou-de-pied: A ballet position in which the arched working foot is raised to an open position in the air to rest in front of, behind, or wrapped around the ankle of the supporting leg.

Dance swing: An offstage performer who learns and rehearses multiple dance numbers and is ready to perform at a moment’s notice. These performers typically learn multiple roles.

Glissade: A ballet movement in which a dancer extends one leg along the floor to the front, side, or back from a fifth position with the knees slightly bent, transfers their weight to the working leg and slides the other foot next to the first leg.

Jeté: A ballet leap where the weight of the dancer is transferred from one foot to the other.

Open audition: Casting calls that are open to any dancers who meet the criteria.

Pas de deux: A dance for two performers, typically a male and female. It is a characteristic of classical ballet and may be referred to casually as a duet. Pas de deux typically consist of five parts: the entrée, the adagio, two variations, and the coda.

Passé: A ballet movement in which the foot of the working leg passes the knee of the supporting leg from one position to another or one leg passes the other in the air or one foot is picked up and passes in back or in front of the supporting leg.

Pirouette: A ballet turn performed in place on one leg.

Pointe shoes: Ballet shoes designed with a box and platform at the toe of the shoe to allow dancers to perform on the tips of their toes. Dancers often cut, glue, scrape, mold and otherwise alter their shoes to suit their feet, style, and preferences. While construction varies between models and manufacturers, most pointe shoes have a shank, toe box, platform, vamp, sole, and ribbons.

Principal dancer: The highest ranked dancers in a ballet company. Principal dancers typically perform the leading roles in ballet productions.

Private audition: Where dancers are invited to audition by taking a company class and being seen by the ballet master and/or director.

Relevé: A ballet move that involves rising up onto the balls of the feet or the toes, either on one or both feet.

Retiré: A ballet position in which the thigh is raised to an open position in the air with the knee bent so that the pointed toe rests in front of, or behind or to the side of the supporting knee.

Soloist dancer: These dancers are ranked above the corps de ballet but below principal dancer(s). Soloists perform more leading roles and sections of dancing, including solos. They frequently as understudies for leading roles.

Tech week: Also called technical week. Tech week is the time to rehearse the full performance with all technical elements in place. It typically occurs the week immediately prior to opening night.