Dance glossary: ballet, salsa, tango

Dance vocabulary explained simply: 127 terms categorized by discipline, from ballet to salsa, tango and ballroom dancing. Each section is arranged from A to Z.

Go to: Ballet and classical dance vocabulary · Salsa, bachata, kizomba and Latin dances · Argentine tango · Ballroom dancing, swing and other styles · Dance shoes and equipment

Ballet and classical dance vocabulary

Ballet terms are in French in schools worldwide. Here are the ones you will hear from your very first classes, from the barre to grand jumps. For dance shoes, also read choosing your first dance shoes and pointe or demi-pointe. All the terms used in class (positions, barre, jumps, turns) are in our classical dance glossary.

Adagio: Slow and sustained sequence (also called adagio) that develops balance, leg extension and movement control.
Allegro: Fast part of the class where small and large jumps are performed in sequence.
Arabesque: Pose on one leg, the other extended behind the body, arms stretched forward. It is one of the iconic figures of ballet.
Assemblé: Jump that starts on one foot and lands on both feet together in fifth position.
Attitude: Pose on one leg, the other raised in front or behind with the knee bent at about 90 degrees.
Balancé: Three-step waltz step that sways from side to side.
Ballon: Quality of a dancer who seems to remain suspended in the air during jumps.
Barre: Wall-mounted rail where every classical class begins: pliés, tendus, rond de jambe, grand battements.
Battement: Family of leg movements that open and close: tendu, jeté, frappé, fondu, grand battement.
Battu: Used to describe a jump during which the legs cross or strike each other in the air. Entrechat, cabriole and brisé are battu jumps.
Low arms: Preparatory arm position, rounded in front of the thighs.
Brisé: Small traveling battu jump: one leg comes to strike the other in the air before landing.
Cabriole: Large battu jump: the working leg rises and strikes the raised leg, extended in front or behind.
Cambré: Bending the torso backward or to the side, the head follows the movement.
Chaînés: Sequence of fast, close demi-turns on demi-pointe or pointe, in a line or diagonally.
Changement de pieds: Jump in fifth position where the feet exchange places in the air.
Chassé: Gliding step where one foot chases the other, often used as a run-up before a jump.
Dance shoe: Flexible shoe in canvas, satin or leather, with a full or split sole, for classical classes.
Cou-de-pied: Part of the foot between the ankle and the base of the toes. A cambré cou-de-pied is highly sought after in classical dance.
Coupé: Position where the working foot rests against the ankle of the supporting leg, often in transition.
Croisé: Orientation of the body diagonally relative to the audience, legs crossed when viewed from the front.
Dégagé: Battement where the foot slides then leaves the floor slightly, pointe extended.
Demi-plié: Bending the knees without lifting the heels off the floor.
Demi-pointe: Position on the ball of the foot, heel raised. Also refers to the soft shoe used before pointe shoes.
Développé: The leg bends then slowly unfolds until fully extended, in front, to the side or behind.
Écarté: Orientation of the body diagonally, the leg open to the side towards the audience.
Échappé: Movement where the feet open from a closed position (fifth) to an open position (second or fourth), in a jump or relevé.
Effacé: Orientation of the body diagonally, the working leg towards the audience, without crossing.
En dedans: Turn or rond de jambe that goes from the back to the front, towards the supporting leg.
En dehors: Turn or rond de jambe that goes from the front to the back. Also refers to the outward rotation of the legs from the hips.
Enchaînement: Sequence of steps joined together in a danced phrase.
Entrechat: Vertical jump where the legs cross several times in the air. Entrechat quatre, six: the number counts the crossings.
Épaulement: Placement of the shoulders and head that gives a position dimension.
Fouetté: Enchaîné turn where the working leg whips through the air with each rotation. The 32 fouettés from Swan Lake are famous.
Glissade: Small gliding and linked step, often placed before a jump.
Grand battement: The extended leg is thrown as high as possible then comes down with control.
Grand jeté: Large jump split from one leg to the other, the most spectacular in ballet.
Grand plié: Deep bending of the knees, heels lifting except in second position.
Jeté: Jump from one leg to the other, the working leg being thrown.
Manège: Sequence of turns or jumps that draw a circle on stage.
Pas de basque: Three-step linking step that sweeps the floor in a semi-circle.
Pas de bourrée: Small fast step in three weight transfers, often used as a link.
Pas de chat: Jump where the legs fold one after the other under the body, like a cat pouncing.
Pas de deux: Danced passage by two performers, with lifts and variations.
Passé: Position where the tip of the working foot touches the knee of the supporting leg (also called retiré).
Piqué: Direct rise onto demi-pointe or pointe on a straight leg, without a prior plié.
Pirouette: Turn on one leg, en dehors or en dedans, generally in passé position.
Plié: Bending the knees, the first exercise at the barre. We distinguish demi-plié and grand plié.
Pointes: Rigid shoes with reinforced tips that allow dancing on the tips of the toes. You move to them after several years of classical dance, on the advice of the teacher.
Port de bras: Codified movement of the arms from one position to another, often accompanied by the torso.
Positions des pieds: The five basic positions of classical dance, feet turned out: from first, heels together, to fifth, feet crossed against each other.
Relevé: Rise onto demi-pointe or pointe.
Révérence: Final bow of the class or show, addressed to the teacher, the pianist or the audience.
Rond de jambe: The leg draws a semi-circle on the floor or in the air, en dehors or en dedans.
Sauté: Used to describe a movement performed by jumping: sauté in first, in second.
Sissonne: Jump that starts from both feet and lands on one.
Soubresaut: Vertical jump in fifth position, the feet remaining together in the air.
Temps levé: Jump on one leg that starts and lands on the same foot.
Tendu: The leg slides on the floor until full extension, pointe extended, without leaving the floor.
Tour en l'air: Complete turn by jumping, especially danced by men, single or double.
Variation: Solo danced in a ballet or competition.

Salsa, bachata, kizomba and Latin dances

The vocabulary of Latin nights and competitions. To choose a suitable pair, see our salsa shoes and our kizomba shoes.

Bachata: Four-beat Dominican dance, marked by a small hip movement or a tap on the fourth beat.
Bachata dominicaine: Original style, fast and playful, with lots of footwork.
Bachata moderne: Bachata that mixes passes inspired by salsa and waves.
Bachata sensuelle: Style born in Spain, slower, made of body waves and head movements.
Body wave: Body wave from the head to the hips, typical of sensual bachata and kizomba.
Casino: Cuban salsa danced in pairs, turning around the partner.
Cha-cha-cha: Cuban dance counted "2, 3, cha-cha-cha", danced socially and in Latin dance competitions.
Cross body lead: Basic salsa in line pass: the leader opens the passage and the follower crosses in front of him.
Dile que no: Basic Cuban salsa pass that places the partners face to face in an open position.
Fan: Basic figure of cha-cha-cha and rumba where the dancer opens to the side of the leader.
Jive: Fast and bouncy Latin competition dance, inherited from swing and rock.
Kizomba: Couple dance born in Angola, slow and very connected, made of steps and slight hip movements.
Latines (dances): In competition, the five Latin dances: samba, cha-cha-cha, rumba, paso doble and jive.
Mambo: Cuban dance and music, ancestors of salsa. The word also designates the basic forward-backward step.
On1 / On2: Salsa in line that breaks on the first beat (Los Angeles style) or on the second (New York style).
Paso doble: Latin competition dance inspired by bullfighting, the leader plays the matador.
Rueda: Cuban salsa in a circle where a leader announces the passes and the partners change.
Rumba: Slow and expressive Latin competition dance, on four beats.
Salsa: Latin couple dance with multiple styles: Cuban, Puerto Rican, Los Angeles, New York.
Samba: Brazilian dance with a characteristic bounce, on a two-beat rhythm.
Semba: Festive Angolan dance, ancestor of kizomba, faster and more playful.
Setenta: Cuban salsa pass where the arms wrap behind the partners' heads.
Urban kiz: Modern version of kizomba, slower and more graphic, on electronic music.

Argentine tango

The words of the milonga, from the cabeceo to the tanda. For shoes, read how to choose your tango shoes.

Abrazo: The Argentine tango embrace, more or less closed depending on the style.
Boleo: The free leg is thrown then wraps with the momentum of a change of direction.
Cabeceo: Invitation to dance by a discreet head nod, from afar, in a milonga.
Cortina: Short music that separates two tandas: we then change partners.
Gancho: Hook: the leg comes to wrap around the partner's leg.
Milonga: The tango ball. It is also a faster and more rhythmic Argentine dance.
Ocho: Figure in the shape of an eight where the dancer pivots while moving forward or backward.
Pivot: Rotation on one foot, at the base of ochos and giros. A sole that slides well makes it easier.
Tanda: Series of three or four pieces danced with the same partner.
Argentine tango: Improvisation dance born in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Main styles: salon, milonguero, nuevo.
Salon tango: In sport dancing, standard tango, very different from Argentine tango in its posture and steps.

Ballroom dancing, swing and other styles

Ballroom: English name for ballroom dancing, often used for standard dances.
Charleston: 1920s dance, lively, with inside and outside legwork.
Choreography: Composition that fixes the order of the steps of a dance.
Contraction: In modern dance, the center of the body hollows then relaxes. It is the signature of the Martha Graham technique.
Flamenco: Andalusian art that brings together singing, guitar and dance, with zapateado and palmas.
Follow: The person who follows the lead in a couple dance.
Foxtrot: Fluid and gliding ballroom dance, on four beats.
Frame: The posture of the arms and torso that structures the couple dance, especially in standard.
Isolation: Movement of a single part of the body (head, shoulders, hips), base of jazz and hip-hop.
Lead: The person who leads in a couple dance.
Lindy hop: Swing dance born in Harlem in the 1930s, on 6 and 8 beat steps.
Lift: Figure where one partner lifts the other (lift in English).
Quickstep: Fast and bouncy ballroom dance, derived from the foxtrot.
Rock: Couple dance on rock'n'roll. The "rock step" is also a back-forward balance step.
Sevillanas: Popular dance of Seville, in pairs, composed of four parts.
Slow foxtrot: Slow version of the foxtrot, one of the five standard dances.
Spot: Fixed point of the gaze during a turn to keep balance and avoid dizziness.
Standard (dances): In competition, the five standard dances: English waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot and quickstep.
Swing: Family of dances born with the jazz of the 1920s to 1950s: lindy hop, charleston, balboa, boogie.
English waltz: Slow waltz, the gentlest of the standard dances.
Viennese waltz: Fast three-beat waltz that turns constantly.
West coast swing: Modern swing dance, in line and very elastic, on current music.
Zapateado: Flamenco foot strikes that produce a rhythm with the heel and the ball of the foot.

Dance shoes and equipment

The words you will come across on our product sheets.

Open toe: Shoe that shows the toes, common in salsa and Latin dance.
Nappa leather: Very soft and smooth leather, that quickly takes the shape of the foot. See also.
Patent leather: Leather covered with a shiny finish, easy to wipe, common in ballroom dancing. See also.
Split sole: Sole cut into two parts (split sole) that lets the foot point freely: dance shoes, jazz shoes, dance sneakers. See also.
Suede sole: Reverse suede sole that glides on parquet while providing grip for turns. It can be brushed to remain effective. See also.
Stiletto heel: Thin heel (stiletto), more elegant, requiring greater balance.
Cuban heel: Wide and low heel, slightly tapered, common on men's dance shoes. See also.
Flared heel: Heel wider at its base (flare), more stable for beginners in salsa and Latin dance.
Taps: Metal plates screwed under the toe and heel of tap shoes. See also.