Ballet Talk For Dancers

As a guy, ballet talk for dancers might not be of exceptional interest to you … unless you happen to partake in ballet. But if you launch some dancer jargon at your date and proceed to explain the terminology, she may find you classy, intelligent, and being in touch with your feminine side. Check out the list below—just a small compilation of the more simple terms thrown to and fro in ballet talk.

1. Cavalier. Ever wonder what those male ballet dancers are called? They are known as cavaliers—the male partners to the female ballerinas.  
2. Coda. This is a word for the finale of a ballet performance.    
3. Couru. Short and sweet, “couru” means “running.” However, couru is not to be confused with “kuru,” a fatal neurological laughing sickness known only to a single tribe in New Guinea.    
4. Pas jeté. This is merely fancy ballet talk for, “throwing step,” and refers to a move where the dancer’s leg extends into the air so intensely that it looks like the leg is being thrown.
5. Piqué. To execute a piqué means to stands en pointe or demi-pointe while the other foot is in the air. So, in laymens terms, standing fully or halfway on the toe tips with one foot while the other one’s flailing around in the back somewhere.    
6. Leçon. Doesn’t it sound like “lesson?” It should—it means lesson, or the daily class ballet dancers take.    
7. Pirouette. This one might sound a little familiar to you. ‘Pirouette’ is only ballet talk for twirling around in a circle on one foot. You may do this less than elegantly when you try to find the bathroom after having a few drinks.    
8. Sauté. Why yes, this is also a cooking term. Who would have thought balletand food have something in common? Anyway, to sauté on a stage that is not a cooking show set means to jump. Easy stuff, right?    
9. Plié. This one’s really simple—to perform a plié means to just bend at the knees as if you’re crouching.    
10. En face. Oddly enough, this one has no stress on a certain syllable like the others. To be en face in aballet means simply to be facing the audience.