Flashcards › Arts & Music › Dance

Dance Terms

Ballet vocabulary, dance styles and movement words.

68 cardsGrades 3–5, Grades 6–8, Grades 9–12, Adult#dance#ballet#styles

0 of 68 known
68 cards
  • PlieTerm
    A bend of the knees (French: bent)plee-AY
  • TenduTerm
    A stretched foot sliding along the floortahn-DOO
  • ReleveTerm
    A rise onto the balls of the feet or toesreh-leh-VAY
  • PirouetteTerm
    A full turn on one footpeer-oo-ET
  • ArabesqueTerm
    A pose on one leg with the other extended behindair-uh-BESK
  • JeteTerm
    A jump from one foot to the otherzheh-TAY
  • Grand jeteTerm
    A big leap with legs split in the air
  • ChasseTerm
    A gliding step in which one foot chases the othersha-SAY
  • GlissadeTerm
    A gliding step to travelglee-SAHD
  • SautéTerm
    A jump from two feet landing on two feetsoh-TAY
  • Port de brasTerm
    Movement of the arms
  • BattementTerm
    A beating or kicking movement of the leg
  • Rond de jambeTerm
    A circular movement of the leg
  • FouetteTerm
    A whipping turn on one leg
  • Pas de deuxTerm
    A dance for two people
  • Corps de balletTerm
    The group of dancers who perform together
  • Prima ballerinaTerm
    The leading female dancer in a ballet company
  • BarreTerm
    The rail dancers hold for warm-ups
  • En pointeTerm
    Dancing on the tips of the toes in pointe shoes
  • TutuTerm
    A short stiff skirt worn by ballet dancers
  • First positionTerm
    Heels together, toes turned out
  • Fifth positionTerm
    Feet crossed tightly, one in front of the other
  • ChoreographyTerm
    The planned steps and movements of a dance
  • ChoreographerTerm
    The person who creates a dance
  • Improvisation (dance)Term
    Dancing without planned steps
  • BalletTerm
    Classical dance that began in Italian and French courts
  • Tap danceTerm
    Dance with metal taps on the shoes making rhythms
  • Jazz danceTerm
    Lively dance with strong rhythm and isolations
  • Modern danceTerm
    Dance style that broke from ballet rules, pioneered by Martha Graham
  • Contemporary danceTerm
    Dance mixing ballet, modern and jazz
  • Hip-hop danceTerm
    Street dance styles like popping and breaking
  • Breakdancing (breaking)Term
    Acrobatic hip-hop dance with floor moves and spins
  • PoppingTerm
    Quickly tightening muscles to jerk the body
  • LockingTerm
    Hip-hop moves with quick stops and holds
  • FlamencoTerm
    Spanish dance with stomping, clapping and guitar
  • SalsaTerm
    Latin partner dance with Cuban roots
  • TangoTerm
    Partner dance from Argentina and Uruguay
  • WaltzTerm
    Graceful dance in three-beat time
  • FoxtrotTerm
    Smooth ballroom dance with walking steps
  • Cha-chaTerm
    Latin ballroom dance with a quick cha-cha-cha step
  • Square danceTerm
    American folk dance with a caller
  • Line danceTerm
    A dance where people stand in rows doing the same steps
  • PolkaTerm
    Lively dance in 2/4 time from Bohemia
  • HulaTerm
    Hawaiian dance telling stories with hands and hips
  • BharatanatyamTerm
    Classical dance from southern India
  • Folk danceTerm
    A traditional dance of a region or people
  • Ballroom danceTerm
    Partner dances like waltz and foxtrot
  • Swing danceTerm
    Jazz-era partner dance, including the Lindy Hop
  • Lindy HopTerm
    Swing dance from Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s
  • Irish step danceTerm
    Dance with fast footwork and still arms
  • CartwheelTerm
    A sideways turn of the body on hands and feet
  • IsolationTerm
    Moving only one part of the body
  • Level (dance)Term
    How high or low the dancer is: low, middle or high
  • Tempo (dance)Term
    The speed of the dance
  • FormationTerm
    The arrangement of dancers on stage
  • Unison (dance)Term
    Dancers doing the same movement at the same time
  • Canon (dance)Term
    Dancers doing the same movement at different times
  • Locomotor movementTerm
    Movement that travels across space, like walking, skipping, hopping
  • Non-locomotor movementTerm
    Movement in place, like bending, twisting, stretching
  • SkipTerm
    A step-hop pattern, moving forward
  • GallopTerm
    A step and a leap with the same foot leading
  • LeapTerm
    A jump from one foot to the other
  • HopTerm
    Jump on one foot landing on the same foot
  • Martha GrahamTerm
    American modern dance pioneer
  • Alvin AileyTerm
    American choreographer who founded a dance theater in 1958
  • Misty CopelandTerm
    American ballerina who became principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre in 2015
  • Rudolf NureyevTerm
    Russian ballet star, 1938 to 1993
  • Anna PavlovaTerm
    Russian ballerina famed for The Dying Swan

Download this deck

Want paper cards? Paste the plain-text download into the flashcard maker.