A dictionary of ballet terms
by Richard Glasstone
Category: Performing Arts

Wherever ballet is taught in the world, and in whatever language, it retains one common denominator: the technical terms used are in French, deriving in part from the rules laid down at the time of Louis XIV. Yet there are many discrepancies in the perceived meaning, spelling and usage between various countries and teaching methods, and this dictionary aims to prevent confusion by explaining the precise meanings of over 560 of the French technical terms used in classical ballet. The dictionary is also unique in that it addresses the problems of correct spelling and grammar, such as the fact that French nouns have a gender with which the adjectives qualifying them must agree. These details may be relatively unimportant to the average dancer, but it is essential that they should be correctly applied when dealing with the printed word. While most of the entries are concerned with the correct translation and basic explanation of technical terms, there are also extended entries which trace both the historical background and the linguistic origins of particular aspects of ballet terminology, such as the one on The Orientation of the Body in Space. The dictionary is an essential reference work not only for ballet dancers and teachers, but for all audience members who wish to have a better technical understanding of this most elegant of art forms.