A

Adagio - A slow sustained movement

Allegro - Refers to a sequence of quick jumps.

Attitude - Position as an arabesque but with one leg bent at the knee (or as an arm).

C

Cannon - Choreographic device, can be in many forms

Choreographic Devices - The structures a choreographer uses-cannon, motif, repetition

Counterbalance - Transference and sharing of weight against a partner

D

Degage - To extend the foot and leg

Demi-pointe - A  rise on to the ball of the foot

Developpe - A movement where one leg is drawn up close to the supporting leg and extended out to a straight leg position.

Duet (Pas de Deux) - Dance performed by two dancers

E

Ennead - Dance performed by nine dancers

F

Floor pattern - The lines or shape a dance piece makes

Form - The shape of a dance

L

Level – low, medium, high

M

Motif - A signature movement

O

Octet - Dance performed by eight dancers

P

Plie - A bend of the legs

Port de bras - Movement sequence of the arms

Prompt - Taken from theatre term ‘prompt corner’. From the audience’s view this is front right, from the dancer’s stage direction it is downstage left.

Q

Quality – how a movement is performed eg. sharp, quivering, delicate

Quartet - Dance performed by four dancers

Question and answer (Antiphonal) - Choreographic device where two groups have a conversation in movement (e.g. one responds to the other)

Quintet - Dance performed by five dancers

R

Repetition – repeating certain movements or a series of movements

S

Septet - Dance performed by seven dancers

Sextet - Dance performed by six dancers

Solo - Dance performed by one dancer

Staccato - Abrupt disconnected movements or sounds

Stillness - having moments of stillness in your work

Structure - The arrangement of a dance

T

Tempo - Fast / Slow / Stop.

Trio - Dance performed by three dancers

U

Unison - When the movements of the dancers are the same