What is a batma in ballet

Battement is a classical ballet term which means “beating.” When a dancing is doing battement, they are essentially closing their legs in together then opening again or the other way around, staring from a closed position to an open, back to a closed.

Frappe´ Literally, struck beating. From the sur la cou-de-pied position (working foot cupped.

In classical ballet, a grand jeté is a type of leap in which the dancer throws their working leg forward and extends the supporting leg backward, resulting in a full split mid-air.

The arabesque is a body 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. One of the most graceful of ballet positions, the arabesque can be varied in many ways…

Definition of port de bras

: the technique and practice of arm movement in ballet.

Definition of rond de jambe

: a circular movement of the leg in ballet either par terre or en l’air.

Definition of dégagé

1 : free of constraint : nonchalant. 2 : being free and easy clothes with a dégagé look. 3 : extended with toe pointed in preparation for a ballet step.

développé, (French: “developed,” or “unfolded”), in ballet, a smooth, gradual unfolding of the leg. The dancer raises the thigh to the side with the knee bent while bringing the toe of the working leg along the calf to the back of the knee of the supporting leg.

Jumped, jumping

Sauté is a classical ballet term that can be used alone or with another term to mean the step is performed while jumping. When used alone, it simply means “jump” and may be often repeated by a teacher during a combination in a ballet class… “Sauté, sauté, sauté, close fifth!”

croix, en. [ahn krwah] In the shape of a cross. Indicates that an exercise is to be executed to the fourth position front, to the second position and to the fourth position back, or vice versa. As, for example, in battements tendus en croix. (

Dégagé means “to disengage.” Dégagé is a movement where the working leg “disengages” from the supporting leg. Mary Helen frequently includes dégagés throughout the Ballet Beautiful barre and dance cardio workouts.

pirouette, (French: “to whirl about”), ballet turn in place on one leg. The pirouette is often done in spectacular series, which women usually perform on toe (pointe) and men on the ball of the foot (demi-pointe).

En cloche is a ballet term that means “like a bell.” It is usually used as “battement en cloche“ which has the dancer going back and forth between battement front and back, passing through first position.

1 : an ornament or style that employs flower, foliage, or fruit and sometimes animal and figural outlines to produce an intricate pattern of interlaced lines. 2 : a posture (as in ballet) in which the body is bent forward from the hip on one leg with one arm extended forward and the other arm and leg backward.

Quatrième is a classical ballet term meaning “fourth.” It is used to refer to fourth position, usually of the feet.

Pirouette is a classical ballet term meaning “spin.” It describes when a dancer is turning around one leg with the other off the ground and in a position, most commonly in passé.

A pirouette (French for “turning”) is a simple ballet turn in which the ballerina spins 360 degrees on one foot. Pirouettes can be done “en dehors,” when you spin away from the supporting leg, or “en dedans,” when you spin toward the supporting leg.

Ballet Moves

Assemblé (assam blay) – Lifting off the floor on one leg, and landing on two. Legs assemble at the same time and return to fifth position.