How Well Do You Know Ballet Terminology?

By: John Miller
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
How Well Do You Know Ballet Terminology?
Image: shutterstock

About This Quiz

In the 1400s, the Renaissance swept through Europe and fueled the rise of ballet. Since then, ballet has become an extremely technical form of dance that’s popular all over the world. With its graceful and athletic moves, both female and male dancers labor for years of their lives, yearning to perfect their form. In the meantime, they must also master the language of ballet, which is mostly based on French terminology. In this quiz, swoop into the “pas de chat” (step of the cat) and let’s see if you really know your ballet terms!

Are you on the same level as Anna Pavlova, Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn? They were virtuoso performers who took the world by storm with their technical precision and dancing prowess. You can bet they knew exactly what the “pas de cheval” and “petit saut” were before they ever took the stage. Do you know the finer points of the pirouette? Or do you confuse this common move with the poisson?

In ballet, “port de bras” is extremely important, as it refers to the way dancers move their arms to various positions. And to make it even more confusing, port de bras is different from place to place all over the world, so beginning dancers may take alternate approaches to this concept. Do you really think you can parse the details of ballet’s glossary?

Let’s see your best revoltade and royale in this ballet terminology quiz! Maybe you’ll prove to be a protégé worth of the stage … or perhaps you’ll fall flat on your face!

What is "balance"?
when ballet dancers thrash around on stage
inner ear anatomy
a sequence of steps
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Balance" refers to a series of three steps. These rocking steps are a basic move in ballet.

What’s a term for a suite of dances in ballet?
grand pas
grand prix
leap for mankind
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A "grand pas" is a suite of dances performed by lead dancers as a highlight of a show. The grand pas is made up of individual pieces like an entree (introduction) and coda (finish).

What does it mean if a dancer does something in "adagio"?
in France
with vicious intent
slowly
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Adagio" means that dancers perform a move slowly and smoothly. It means to do something with gentle ease.

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What does a dancer do in a "glissade"?
slaps her rival for the lead part
glides
flies
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A glissade is one of the smoothest moves in ballet. In a glissade, one simply glides.

What is "arabesque"?
a triple jump
a type of pose
a style of dancer
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Arabesque is one of the fundamental poses in ballet. Dancers pose on one leg and create a very long line from the fingertips to the toes.

If a dancer rises to a point from flat feet, she is performing an ____.
siete
eleve
cloven hoof
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It means "lifted" or "raised." In an eleve, dancers push themselves to the points of their toes from a flat-footed position.

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What’s a "tutu"?
a dance involving two people
a made-up ballet term
a skirt
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tutus are the classic ballet skirt. These very short skirts allow dancers to perform acrobatic moves without getting tangled in fabric.

What’s a word for type of ballet jump?
brise
releve
glissade
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In a brise, dancers jump and move a leg to one side, and the join the legs together in midair before landing.

What work describes moves that are done briskly?
mime
avant, en
allegro
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If a choreographer wants a move performed briskly, he or she would specify "allegro."

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What’s a word for when a dancer falls into a subsequent move?
tombe
tendu
oops
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In French, "tombe" means fallen. A tombe is often used to describe a falling motion that leads into a type of traveling step.

In "croix, en," a move is performed in _____.
rapidity
birdlike manner
the shape of a cross
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A choreographer may specify "croix, en," and in this case, dancers perform their moves in the shape of a cross.

Which term means that a dancer is turning in the air?
bird en el wingo
Flappy Bird
tours en l’air
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Male dancers often incorporate a powerful tours en l’air into their routines. These "turns in the air" find dancers performing a full rotation during a leap.

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What’s a "barre"?
a handrail
a guitar solo played during a ballet show
a vertical dance pole
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A barre, or handrail, essential for ballet practices. Dancers use them for balance as they hone specific form.

What’s a term for a female ballet performer?
diva
ballerina
concertina
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Ballerina" is term that’s generally used to describe female ballet dancers. Ballerinas struggle for years or even decades to reach the apex of their craft.

In a "cambre," dancers ______.
create paper airplanes
bend at the waist
vomit uncontrollably
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In French, cambre means "arched." In this move, dancers bend at the waist in any direction.

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What does it mean if a dancer performs "attitude"?
He refuses to leave the dressing room.
He puts his leg behind and at a 90-degree angle.
He gets snotty with the director.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Attitude" has nothing to do with a problematic dancer. It’s a pose in which the dancer holds his or her leg behind and at a 90-degree angle at the knee.

What’s a word used to describe a truly amazing ballet dancer?
virtuoso
maestro
black swan
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ballet dancers suffer and toil in hopes that one day they’ll approach virtuoso mastery of their craft. Only a tiny handful will accomplish the feat.

What does it mean if a dancer is "a terrer"?
faking her own death
touching the ground
eating a cupcake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Not all ballet moves are high-flying jumps and leaps. “A terrer" means touching the floor.

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A "hortensia" makes it look like a male dancer is doing what?
slapping invisible spirits
swimming in air
committing ritual suicide
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In a hortensia, male dancers leap into the air and put one leg in front of the other multiple times. It makes them look as if they are trying to swim in midair.

What word indicates that about half a move is performed?
demi
quattro
halfsies
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If a dancer performs a move in "demi," it means he or she performs a lesser variant of a full move.

In a "fouette," a dancer ____.
shakes his or her hair
pivots
flails in agony
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A fouette finds dancers pivoting rapidly. Then, he or she will often dramatically kick out the working leg.

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What’s a "turnout"?
a somersault
when dancers turn their toes and knees away from each other
the number of spectators
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ballet dancers frequently turn their knees and toes away from each other. This is simply called a "turnout."

What move involves one big step quickly followed by two smaller steps?
double skip
triple runs
quad attack
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A triple run doesn’t involve a lot of running. It is simply a big step followed immediately by two smaller steps.

If a dancer performs a ____, she does two of the same move.
coda
double
demi
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It’s a simple concept. If you double a move, you do it twice. Repetition is an important choreography concept.

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When a dancer does a "face, en," in which direction is she facing?
the audience
newspaper reviews
a mirror
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Face, en" is another fundamental term. It refers to when dancers are directly facing something, and that something is generally the audience.

If a director says a move needs more "ballon," what does that mean"
more lightness
lift her higher
more red balloons
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

What, did you swallow concrete in your dreams last night? Add some "ballon," or lightness, to your steps.

Who participates in a "fish dive"?
four male dancers
male and female dancers
hungry audience members
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In a fish dive, a male dancer holds a ballerina in downward-facing pose. It’s not the kind of lift you trust to a butter-fingered male dancer.

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What does it mean if a dancer adds bravura to her moves?
falling motion
very slow motion
lots of flashiness
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

“Bravura" means adding flashy showiness to moves. It is dramatic, sweeping, and grand.

“Cou-de-pied" is a move that refers to which part of the body?
the buttocks
the feet
the face
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The cou-de-pied finds one dancer’s foot arched and placed on the other foot. There are several variations of the cou-de-pied.

Which part of a ballet finishes the show?
demi-solo
treble
coda
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The coda is the final piece in a grand pas. It is the final flourish of a performance.

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