Level 2 Ballet theory

 

Feet Positions

1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th

Arm Positions

Bras bas - (bra bah) Low curved arms, palms facing the ceiling
1st - Curved arms raised to naval height
2nd -Arms held open to the sides, angled down and forward, with palms facing forward. Elbows slightly lower than shoulders, wrists level with elbows.
3rd - One arm in 2nd position, the other in 1st position
4th - One arm in 2nd position , the other in 5th
5th - Arms curved an oval position above the head.
Demi 2nd - Arms held curved between bras bas and 2nd position
2nd Bas -(2nd bah) Second position with palms facing down

Arabesques

1st - Arm at eye line and the same as supporting leg
2nd -Arm at shoulder height and the same as working leg, either criosé or en ouvert3rd - One arm shoulder height, one at to eye line

Movements

Demi Plié - (demi plee-ay) Half of a bendGrand Plié - (grond plee-ay) Full bendTendu - (ton-dew) To stretch
Dégagé - (de-ga-jaay) Disengage.

Rond de jambe à terre - (ron duh jaamb) Rounding of the leg - à terre (ah tair) - on the ground
Fondu - (fon-dew) To melt
Demi Détourné - (demi de-toor-nay) Half of a turn

Frappé - (fra-pay) To Strike
Adage - Slow movements from one extended position to another
Développé - (dev-la-pay) To unfold the leg
Chassé - (shah-say) to separate the feet with a swish along the ground
Passé - (pah-say) To pass
Grand Battement - (grond bat-mon) To throw
Retiré - (re-ti-ray) Withdrawn. To draw the foot up and down the leg
Relevé - (re-le-vay) To snatch
Port de Bras - (por duh bra) Carriage of the arms
Arabesque - (ara-besk) An elongated classical line on one leg
Pirouette - (pi-ro-wet) To spin or turn
Soutenu - (soo-te—noo) Sustained. Gathering movement from a plié to straight knees to a plié again. Or a gathering movement from a plié to a rise, may be en face or turned.Allegro - (ah-leg-ro) Quick and lively steps
Sauté - (so-tay) To spring or jump

Echappés - (eh-sha-pay) To escape
Changements - (shanj-mon) To change
Balancé - (ba-lon-say) Balanced. A waltzing Step
Pas de Bourrée - (par de bou-ray) Running step
Assemblés - (ah-som-blay) To assemble
Glissades - (glee-sard) To Glide.
Batterie - (bat-er-ee) Beats. Jumping movement in which the legs beat in air before landingEchappé Battu - (eh-sha-pay ba-too)Echappé sauté to 2nd, legs beat front back when springing back to 5th
Pas de Chat - (par de sha) Step of the Cat
Pas de Cheval - (pae de sher-val) Step of the Horse
Petit Jeté - (petti je-tay) Small spring from one foot to the other
Galop - Traveling step in which the legs come together with a spring up
Spring Points - Springing step from one foot to the other, with working leg extended Devant Polka - Traveling step, galop one one leg then change leg, either with a swish or step

Temps Levé - (ton-la-vay) Time up - Spring from one foot
Chaîné - (shen-nay) Series of turning steps in the 1st position performed on pointe or demi pointe. Should run smoothly as to look chain-like
Reverence - (re-ve-ronts) An acknowledgment to the teachers thanking them for taking the class.

Directions & Body Positions
Cou-de-pied - (koo-duh-pee-ay) Neck of the foot

Devant - (duh-von) In front of
Derrière - (de-ri-air) Behind
À la Seconde - (ah la se-kond) To the second
En Face - (on fas) In front - facing the front
En dehors - (on day-or) Going outwards
En dans - (on der-don) Going inwards
En avant - (on ah-von) Traveling forwards
En arrière - (on ari-air) Traveling backwards
En croix - (on kwa) In a cross shape