Plie: A bend of the knees (French: bent) Tendu: A stretched foot sliding along the floor Releve: A rise onto the balls of the feet or toes Pirouette: A full turn on one foot Arabesque: A pose on one leg with the other extended behind Jete: A jump from one foot to the other Grand jete: A big leap with legs split in the air Chasse: A gliding step in which one foot chases the other Glissade: A gliding step to travel Sauté: A jump from two feet landing on two feet Port de bras: Movement of the arms Battement: A beating or kicking movement of the leg Rond de jambe: A circular movement of the leg Fouette: A whipping turn on one leg Pas de deux: A dance for two people Corps de ballet: The group of dancers who perform together Prima ballerina: The leading female dancer in a ballet company Barre: The rail dancers hold for warm-ups En pointe: Dancing on the tips of the toes in pointe shoes Tutu: A short stiff skirt worn by ballet dancers First position: Heels together, toes turned out Fifth position: Feet crossed tightly, one in front of the other Choreography: The planned steps and movements of a dance Choreographer: The person who creates a dance Improvisation (dance): Dancing without planned steps Ballet: Classical dance that began in Italian and French courts Tap dance: Dance with metal taps on the shoes making rhythms Jazz dance: Lively dance with strong rhythm and isolations Modern dance: Dance style that broke from ballet rules, pioneered by Martha Graham Contemporary dance: Dance mixing ballet, modern and jazz Hip-hop dance: Street dance styles like popping and breaking Breakdancing (breaking): Acrobatic hip-hop dance with floor moves and spins Popping: Quickly tightening muscles to jerk the body Locking: Hip-hop moves with quick stops and holds Flamenco: Spanish dance with stomping, clapping and guitar Salsa: Latin partner dance with Cuban roots Tango: Partner dance from Argentina and Uruguay Waltz: Graceful dance in three-beat time Foxtrot: Smooth ballroom dance with walking steps Cha-cha: Latin ballroom dance with a quick cha-cha-cha step Square dance: American folk dance with a caller Line dance: A dance where people stand in rows doing the same steps Polka: Lively dance in 2/4 time from Bohemia Hula: Hawaiian dance telling stories with hands and hips Bharatanatyam: Classical dance from southern India Folk dance: A traditional dance of a region or people Ballroom dance: Partner dances like waltz and foxtrot Swing dance: Jazz-era partner dance, including the Lindy Hop Lindy Hop: Swing dance from Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s Irish step dance: Dance with fast footwork and still arms Cartwheel: A sideways turn of the body on hands and feet Isolation: Moving only one part of the body Level (dance): How high or low the dancer is: low, middle or high Tempo (dance): The speed of the dance Formation: The arrangement of dancers on stage Unison (dance): Dancers doing the same movement at the same time Canon (dance): Dancers doing the same movement at different times Locomotor movement: Movement that travels across space, like walking, skipping, hopping Non-locomotor movement: Movement in place, like bending, twisting, stretching Skip: A step-hop pattern, moving forward Gallop: A step and a leap with the same foot leading Leap: A jump from one foot to the other Hop: Jump on one foot landing on the same foot Martha Graham: American modern dance pioneer Alvin Ailey: American choreographer who founded a dance theater in 1958 Misty Copeland: American ballerina who became principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre in 2015 Rudolf Nureyev: Russian ballet star, 1938 to 1993 Anna Pavlova: Russian ballerina famed for The Dying Swan Free flashcards from Peabody at peabody.kids/flashcards/dance-terms