Eclectic Edge Ensemble

This is a list of dance definitions aimed at helping anyone interested in learning more about the movement. Included is a list of Kinesiology terms intended to facilitate a better understanding of the definitions of the dance terms. It is also a useful tool for in the dance classroom when explaining the breakdown of movement.

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Please note: This is not an exhaustive list of dance terms pertaining to any of the dance forms listed.

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Attitude: The hip of the gesture leg is at 90°, the knee is bent, and the foot is pointed.

Arabesque: The gesture leg is extended behind the dancer’s body at 90° or higher, which requires hip and spine hyperextension, knee extension, and ankle-foot plantarflexion.

Ballón: The quality of lightness, ease in jumping.

Ball Change: Changing weight from the right foot to the left foot.

Body roll: A rolling movement through the body.

Catch Step: A syncopated step in which a dancer transfers the weight of the body by bringing the ball of one foot just behind the other to push the supporting leg forward.

Contraction: Tightening the abdominals, tucking the pelvis, and forming a “C” with the torso so that the shoulders are over the pelvis.

Cabriole: “Caper like a goat”. A jump where one leg is kicked up into the air and the supporting leg pushes off and beats underneath the gesture leg, propelling it higher. The jump lands on the kicking leg.

Chaînés: “Linked like a chain”. A series of small turning steps with the feet in first position relevé. Weight is shifted rapidly from one to the other limb with each half turn. Performed continuously in rapid succession.

Chassé: “Chasing one foot with the other”. The leading foot slides forward into fourth (or side-ward into second), then with a spring off the floor, the stance limb draws up to it in the air, and the leading foot opens to land in fourth (or second). Used as a traveling or transition step.

Dèveloppé: A large, relatively slow leg gesture. The gesture limb begins from first or fifth position, passes through passé, to extend at 90° or higher to the front (en avant), side (a la seconde), or back (en arrière - arabesque).

Elevé: A rise upward onto the toes.

Fan Kick: A high straight leg kick in which the gesture leg makes a swooping circular arc across the front of the body.

Fifth position: The legs are externally rotated, one foot is crossed in front of the other, with forward toe touching the back heel.

First position: The legs are externally rotated, and heels are together.

Flat Back: Position in which the legs are in parallel, the back is kept flat, parallel to the floor, with the torso hinged at the hips.

Forced arch: Weight bearing position of the foot in which the heel is lifted and the knee is bent with extreme metatarsal.

Fourth position: The legs are externally rotated, one foot is crossed in front of the other, separated by the distance of one foot.

Hinge: Legs are in parallel, pelvis is pressed diagonally forward, torso tilted diagonally backward, knees are bent and approximately 3” off the floor, heels are raised to 1/4” relevé.

Isolations: Moving one part of the body, such as the head, shoulder, ribs, or hips, while the rest are immobile.

Jeté: A “throwing step” where a leaping jump is executed from one foot to the other. The forward leg battements to the front, and the other leg follows in arabesque. (May also be executed to the side).

Jazz Hand: Fingers are spread.

Jazz Run: Like a jazz walk but faster.

Jazz Walk: Walking straight in plie with shoulders in opposition.

Lunge: A large, open fourth position in which one knee is bent (usually the front), and the other is straight.

Passé: Similar in shape to the retiré: the hip is abducted and externally rotated, the knee is bent, the foot is pointed, and the toe touches the knee of the stance limb. However, the passé is a transitional movement as the foot passes on its way to another position (such as dèveloppé).

Piqué: “Pricked”. A step in which the body moves sharply onto the pointe or demi-pointe of the opposite foot. This action can be immediately followed by a turning motion, known as a piqué turn.

Piroutté: “Whirl or spin”. A controlled turn on one leg in relevé.

Pivot Step: Step front, twist to the back and with the same leg step back and then twist to front.

Plié: A bend of the knees while the torso is held upright. The action relies on varying degrees of hip and knee flexion, with ankle and MTP dorsiflexion, depending on whether the plié is demi- or grand.

Release: A relaxing or arching movement.

Relevé: A rise or spring onto the toes (demi- or full pointe) from plié.

second position: The legs are externally rotated and separated by the distance of one foot, in the frontal plane.

Rhythm: Pulse of the music. Rhythm dance is composed of broken rhythms, syncopation, and off beats.

Russian: Also called a toe touch jump in second position.

Shimmy: Shoulder shaking: alternating in a rapid motion.

Sixth position: Feet in parallel, and together. (Also known as parallel first).

Stag: Leap in which the forward leg is in parallel passé and the backward leg is in attitude turned out.

Tendu: A “stretched” action of the gesturing limb from a stance position with flat foot to a pointed foot, with the toes keeping contact with the floor.

Third position: The legs are externally rotated, and one heel is placed in front of the other.

Touch: Point the foot to the floor (step touch or touch step).

Tour: Turn of the body.

Tour jeté: A jeté which incorporates an angular rotation of the body and switching of the legs in mid-air.

Twist: Pivot, changing direction

Wrist Press: Flexing the hand and pushing the palm away from the shoulder.

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Glossary of kinesiology terms: planes, joints, type of movement, muscle, and tendon.

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Abduction: The movement of a body part away from the axis or midline of the body, movement of a digit away from the axis of the limb.

Adduction: The movement of the body part toward the axis or midline of the body, movement of a digit toward the axis of the limb.

Anterior: Toward the front, the opposite of posterior, or dorsal.

Ball-and-socket Joint: The most freely movable type of synovial joint I(e.g., the shoulder or hip joint).

Distal: Away from the midline or origin; the opposite of proximal.

Dorsal: Pertaining to the back or posterior portion of a body part; the opposite of ventral also called posterior.

Dorsiflexion: The turning of the foot or the toes upward.

Extension: A movement that increases the angle between parts of a joint.

Extensor: A muscle that, upon contraction, increases the angle of a joint.

External: Located on or toward the surface.

Flexion: A movement that decreases the angle between parts of a joint.

Flexor: A muscle that decreases the angle of a joint where it contracts.

Frontal Plane: 1. Pertaining to the region of the forehead. 2. A plane through the body, dividing the body into anterior and posterior portions; also called the coronal plane.

Gliding Joint: A type of synovial joint in which the articular surfaces are flat, permitting only side-to-side and back and forth movement (e.g., the wrist).

Hinge Joint: A type of synovial articulation characterized by a convex surface of one bone fitting into a concave surface of another such that movement is confined to one plane, as in the knee.

Horizontal Plane: A directional plane the divides the body, organ, or appendage into superior and inferior or proximal or distal portions.

Hyper Extension: Extension of a joint beyond its normal range of motion.

Internal: Toward the center, away from the surface of the body.

Lateral: Pertaining to the side; farther from the midplane.

Midsagittal Plane: A plane that divides the body into equal right and left halves; also called the median plane.

Muscle: A major type of tissue adapted to contract. The three kinds of muscle are cardiac, smooth, and skeletal.

Pivot Joint: A synovial joint in which the rounded head of one bone articulates with the depressed cup of another to permit a rotational type of movement.

Plantarflexion: A toe down motion of the foot at the ankle, (point).

Protraction: The movement of a body part, such as the mandible, forward on a plane parallel with the ground; the opposite of retraction.

Proximal: Closer to the midplane of the body or to the origin of an appendage; the opposite of distal.

Retraction: The movement of a body part; such as the mandible, backward on a plane parallel to the ground; the opposite of protraction.

Rotation: The movement of a bone around its own longitudinal axis.

Saddle Joint A synovial joint in which the articular surfaces of both bones are concave in one plane and convex or saddle shaped, in the other plane, such as in the distal carpometacarpal joint of the thumb.

Sagittal Plane: A vertical plane, running parallel to the midsagittal plane, that divides the body into unequal right and left portions.

Superior: Toward the upper part of a structure or toward the head; also called cephalic.

Synovial Joint: A freely movable joint in which there is a synovial cavity between the articulating bones.

Tendon: A band of dense regular connective tissue that attaches muscle to bone.

Ventral: Toward the front or facing surface; the opposite of dorsal; also called inferior