===
Partnering=== Dancing performed by a pair of dancers, typically a male and a female, in which the pair strives to achieve a harmony of coordinated movements so that the audience remains unaware of the mechanics. A dance that is focused on a single pair of partnering dancers is a
pas de deux. For a male dancer, partnering may involve lifting, catching, and carrying a partner, and providing assistance and support for leaps, promenades and
pirouettes.
Pas (; literally 'step.') A dance, or a suite of dances as in
grand pas.
Pas de basque (; 'step of the
Basques.') Halfway between a step and a leap, taken on the floor (
glissé) or with a jump (
sauté); it can be done moving toward the front or toward the back. This step can also be found in
Scottish highland dance. Starting in fifth position
croisé, a dancer executes a
plié while brushing the downstage leg out to
tendu front. The downstage leg does a
demi rond de jambe to the opposite corner while the body turns to face that corner. Weight is quickly transferred to that brushed leg, now upstage, allowing the dancer to pass the newly downstage leg through
first position via a
chassé passé to fourth devant, ending
croisé the new corner, and finishing by bringing the upstage leg in to close fifth.
Pas de bourrée pas de bourrée, which differs slightly from ballet (; 'step of
bourrée.') A quick sequence of movements beginning with extension of the first leg while demi-plié, closing the first leg to the second as both transition to relevé (demi-pointe or pointe), extending the second leg to an open position while relevé, and closing the first leg to the second in demi-plié (or optionally with legs straight if performed quickly or as the final step of an enchainement). Variants include: • pas de bourrée derrière – 'behind' / pas de bourrée devant – 'front' • pas de bourrée dessus – 'over,' initially closing the working foot in front / pas de bourrée dessous – 'under,' initially closing the working foot behind • pas de bourrée en arriere – 'traveling backward' / pas be bourrée en avant – 'traveling forward' • pas be bourrée en tournant en dedans – 'turning inward' / pas de bourrée en tournant en dehors – 'turning outward' • pas de bourrée ouvert – 'open,' an
open->closed->open sequence • pas de bourrée piqué – 'pricked,' with working leg quickly lifted after pricking the floor • pas de bourrée couru – 'running,' also 'flowing like a river'
Pas de chat (; 'step of the cat.') A traveling sideways jump where while mid-air the legs are successively bent, brought to retiré, feet as high up as possible, knees apart. The
Dance of the Cygnets from
Swan Lake involves sixteen
pas de chat performed by four dancers holding hands, arms interlaced. In the Cecchetti and French schools, this may be referred to as a
saut de chat ('jump of the cat').
Grand pas de chat A jump where the leading leg extends forward through
grand battement (a "French
pas de chat") or
développé (an "Italian
pas de chat") and the trailing leg remains in
retiré until landing.
"Russian" pas de chat A jump where the legs are successively brought to attitude derrière instead of retiré. This variant of the pas de chat appears in several Petipa ballets (e.g. the fourth variation in
Paquita).
Pas de cheval (; 'step of the horse.') A movement of the leg (when extended) through first or fifth position, to
cou-de-pied and then energetically out to a
pointe tendue through a petit développé. ===
Pas de deux=== ('Step of two.') A dance duet, usually performed by a female and a male dancer.
Pas de poisson (; 'step of the fish.') A type of
soubresaut, or a jump without a change of feet. From fifth position, a dancer executes a deep
demi-plié and then jumps arching the back with straight legs behind, so that the body is curved like a fish jumping out of water. Also called
temps de poisson. ===
Pas de quatre=== ('Step of four.') A dance by four dancers. ===
Pas de trois=== ('Step of three.') A dance by three dancers.
Pas de valse (; 'waltz step.') A sequence of three steps—
fondu, relevé, elevé (down, up, up)—always advancing (like a march), done in three counts to music generally in time, traveling in any direction or while turning (
en tournant). The feet do not assemble (or "cross each other") on any step as occurs in a
balancé; each step instead passes the last.
Passé (; literally 'passed.') Passing the working foot through from back to front or vice versa. Generally used to refer to
retiré passé, indicating passing the foot of the working leg past the knee of the supporting leg (on, below, or above) from back to front or front to back.
Retiré passé may initiate or complete by sliding the working foot up or down the supporting leg from or to the floor, may be executed directly from an open position such as in
pirouette from fourth, or may transition from knee to another position such as
arabesque or
attitude (as in
développé). A
chassé can also pass through from back to front as in (
sissonne)
failli:
chassé passé. Penché (; 'tilted'.) Tilting the body forward about the hip of the supporting leg so that the head is lower than the working leg, as in
arabesque penché. Doing a split while standing on one foot. The dancer lifts the leg more than 90 degrees.
Petit battement Petit
battement is when a ballet dancer swiftly moves his/her leg in front then behind their calf. This motion is normally done at the
barre during warm-up. A more advanced dancer would only move their knee, to complete this action.
Petit saut (; 'small jump.') A small jump, in which the feet do not change positions in mid-air; also called
temps levé sauté in the Vaganova vocabulary.
Piqué (; meaning 'pricked.') A movement in which the raised, pointed foot of the working leg is lowered so that it pricks the floor and then either rebounds upward (as in
battement piqué) or becomes a supporting foot. In the latter case, it may be used to transfer a stance from one leg to the other by stepping out directly onto an
en pointe or
demi-pointe foot and often immediately precedes a movement that entails elevating the new working leg, such as a
piqué arabesque. In Cecchetti and RAD, the term
posé is used instead of
piqué outside of the battement:
piqué arabesque and ABT
piqué turn/tour piqué (
en dedans) / Rus.
tour dégagé = RAD/Cecc.
posé arabesque and
posé turn/posé en tournant.
Piqué turn A
tour piqué or piqué turn is a traveling turn executed by the leg stepping out onto an en pointe or demi-pointe foot becoming the supporting leg while the working leg moves from plié to retiré derrière, if an en dedans turn, or retiré devant, if an en dehors turn. In fast piqué turns, petit retiré may be executed instead (i.e. working foot at cou-de-pied). Most commonly done en dedans, piqué turns en dehors are also referred to as
lame ducks. ===
Pirouette=== () A non-traveling turn on one leg, of one or more rotations, often starting with one or both legs in
plié and rising onto
demi-pointe or
pointe. The non-supporting leg is generally held in
retiré devant ('front')—when initiated from fourth, this would be a retiré
passé—but could also be held in other positions such as
seconde. Pirouettes are most often executed
en dehors, turning outwards in the direction of the working leg, but can also be done
en dedans, turning inwards in the direction of the supporting leg. (e.g.
En dehors turns clockwise (to the right) if the right leg is working and the left leg supporting/standing.)
Spotting is employed to help maintain balance. A pirouette may return to its starting position or finish in
arabesque or
attitude. In other genres of dance, such as jazz or modern, it is common to see pirouettes performed with legs
parallel (i.e. sixth position) instead of turned out as in ballet.
Plié (; literally 'bent.') A smooth and continuous bending of the knees outward with the upper body held upright. In
demi-plié, (in a first, second, fourth, and fifth position) a dancer bends the knees while maintaining turnout. While in a demi-plié position one must remember to have proper alignment. Head over shoulders, shoulders over hips over knees and knees over feet. When initiating a demi-plié one must pull up and resist against going down. Lengthening from the center and back of the head and pressing down through the floor through the balls of the feet. As you are bending your knees you have to maintain the proper alignment and make sure that the knees are going over the big toe. Creating proper turn out by rotating the inner thighs forward and you go down. Making sure to keep the pelvis in line as you go down and up so that you do not release your seat and stick your chest forward. at the same time engaging your core (stomach) by pressing your naval towards your spine. The knees bending directly above the line of the toes without releasing the heels from the floor. As soon as the bottom of the bend is reached, the bend is reversed and the legs are straightened. In
grand plié, (in first, second, fourth, and fifth position) While doing a grand-plié position one must remember to have proper alignment. Head over shoulders, shoulders over hips over knees and knees over feet. When initiating a grand-plié one must pull up and resist against going down. Lengthening from the center and back of the head and pressing down through the floor through the balls of the feet. As you are bending your knees you have to maintain the proper alignment and make sure that the knees are going over the big toe. Heels come off the ground past demi-plié with the feet ending in a demi-pointe at the bottom of the bend. Making sure to create proper turn out by rotating the inner thighs forward and you go down. Making sure to keep the pelvis in line as you go down and up so that you do not release your seat and stick your chest forward, and at the same time engaging your core(stomach) by pressing your navel towards your spine. As soon as the bottom of the bend is reached, the bend is reversed and the legs are straightened. *Note: Heels do not come up off the floor in a second position.
Pointe, en () Supporting one's body weight on the tips of the toes, usually while wearing structurally reinforced
pointe shoes. ===
Pointe technique=== The part of classical
ballet technique that concerns pointe work (dancing on the tips of the toes).
Pointe work Performing steps while on the tips of the toes, with feet fully extended and wearing
pointe shoes, a structurally reinforced type of shoe designed specifically for this purpose. Most often performed by women.
Poisson (; literally 'fish.') A body position in which the back is arched and legs are crossed in fifth position or the working leg is held retiré. This position may be assumed while jumping or in partnering lifts, as in a
fish dive.
Port de bras (; 'carriage of the arms.') An exercise for the movement of the arms (and in some schools, the upper body) to different positions. For example, a basic
port de bras exercise could move from fifth
en bas ('low') (i.e.
bras bas or
preparatory position) to first arm position, to second arm position, back down to fifth en bas. A full
port de bras could move from
en bas to
en haut ('high', i.e. overhead) and back down. Port de bras movements vary by school and by action. The phrase
port de bras is used in some schools and parts of the world to indicate a bending forward, backward, or circularly of the body at the waist, generally to be followed by bringing the upper body back to center/upright again, e.g. "port de bras forward", "port de bras back", "circular port de bras/grand port de bras". Bending at the waist is otherwise known as
cambré.
Posé ; A term of the
Cecchetti school and RAD. From a
fondu, a dancer steps with a straight leg onto an
en pointe or
demi-pointe foot, then brings the working leg to
cou-de-pied, so that if the step is repeated, the working leg will execute a
petit développé. This can be done in any direction or turning (the later also known as
tour piqué). ===
Positions of the arms=== There are two basic positions of the arms. In one, the dancer keeps the fingers of both arms almost touching to form an oval/round shape, either near the hips, at navel level, or raised above the dancer's head. In the other, the arms are extended to the sides with the elbows slightly bent. These positions may be combined to give other positions. Different schools, such as Vaganova, French, and Cecchetti, Russian often use different names for similar arm positions. The Russian school names three arm positions while the other schools name five. • Bras bas ('arms low') (RAD)/bras au repos ('at rest') (French), preparatory position (Rus.), or fifth en bas (Cecc.) holds the arms low and slightly rounded near the hip. • First position holds the arms round or oval in front of the body somewhere between the naval and breastbone (depending on the school and movement), the fingertips of the hands approaching each other. In Cecchetti, the hands stay a little lower at tutu height. • Second position in all schools holds the arms extended out to the side, the inner part of the upper arm parallel to the ground with the forearms and palms facing the audience. The roundness and shoulder height of the arms varies by school. • Third position in the French/RAD schools holds one arm in second with the other arm in first. The Russian equivalent of this may be
petit bras. • Third position in Cecchetti holds one arm in a Cecchetti first and the other arm in
demi-seconde. • Third position in the Russian school holds both arms slightly rounded overhead. This is equivalent to fifth position (en haut) in other schools. • Fourth position or fourth
ouvert ('open') consists of one arm
en haut ('high,' i.e. raised overhead) and the other open to second position. This is called
fourth en haut in Cecchetti. The Russian school does not designate a fourth position; the Russian equivalent may be
grand bras. • Fourth position
croisé ('crossed') or
Spanish fourth in Cecchetti consists of one arm
en haut and the other held in first position/Cecchetti
fifth en avant. • Fifth position in the French/RAD schools and
fifth en haut in Cecchetti holds the arms
en haut slightly rounded, fingertips approaching each other. This is called third position in the Russian school, which does not designate a fifth (or fourth) position. Cecchetti also recognizes a
fifth en bas, the preparatory/bras bas position in other schools, and a
fifth en avant, arms rounded between naval/chest height, known as first position in other schools. Additionally: • Demi-bras ('half arms') holds the arms between first and second position, outstretched with palms presented towards the audience. • Demi-seconde ('half second') holds the arms low out to the side as if grazing the tutu, palms generally down.
Positions of the body There are eight to eleven positions of the body in ballet, eight in Cecchetti and RAD and ten or eleven in the Russian and French schools. The general positions are
croisé,
à la quatrième,
effacé,
à la seconde,
écarté, and
épaulé. Cecchetti and RAD's eight include
croisé devant, à la quatrième devant, effacé (devant), à la seconde, croisé derrière, écarté, épaulé, and
à la quatrième derrière. The Russian school further divides
effacé and
épaulé into
effacé devant, effacé derrière, épaulé devant, and
épaulé derrière, and the Russian arm positions on
croisé derrière are the converse of Cecchetti/RAD's. In addition, the French school further divides
écarté into
écarté devant and
écarté derrière. ===
Positions of the feet=== The standard, basic placements of feet on the floor. Modern-day classical ballet employs five positions, known as the
first position,
second position,
third position,
fourth position, and
fifth position.
Pulling Up Pulling up is critical to the simple act of rising up on balance and involves the use of the entire body. The feeling of being simultaneously grounded and "pulled up" is necessary for many steps in ballet. To pull up, a dancer must lift the ribcage and sternum but keep the shoulders down, relaxed and centered over the hips, which requires use of the abdominal muscles. In addition, the dancer must stabilize the pelvis, maintaining a neutral position, and keep the back straight to avoid arching and going off balance. ==Q==