Education & Community Engagement

Ballet Glossary

Temps levé [tahn luh-VAY] – Means “time raised” or “raising movement” in French. A term used to describe a sharp jump either on one foot or two.

Tendu, tendue [tahn-DEW] – This French word means “stretched.” A classic ballet movement where the leg is extended straight out from the supporting leg with the foot fully pointed; it can be done front, side, or back.

Terre (à ~) [ah tehr]

This is French for “on the

ground.”

Tombé, tombée [tahn-BAY]

This term means “falling” in French. This movement requires the dancer to fall with all the weight of the body onto the other leg.

Tour en l’air [toor ahn lehr]

This is French for

“turn in the air,” and refers to a step traditionally used

only for male dancers. To execute this movement, the dancer

begins with a demi-plié in fifth position, jumps straight

into the air to turn one or more full rotations, and lands

again in fifth position with the other foot in front.

Tour jeté [toor zhuh-TAY]

This is the

abbreviation for “grand jeté en tournant,” which is

French for “thrown largely while turning,” referring to

a large, turning jeté, or leap. This jump is initiated

by doing a grand battement to the front, switching legs

and turning the body one half-rotation in the air, and

landing on the opposite leg in arabesque.

Tournant (en ~) [ahn toor-NAHN]

This is French for “turning.”

Turn-out

The ability of the dancer to turn their feet out to a 90 degree position by using the rotation in their hips. This is one of the essential principles in classical ballet dance.

Tutu [tew-TEW]

This is a ballet skirt worn by

female dancers in many traditional ballets, made from layers

of silk or nylon tulle. The skirt can be either the

romantic style, dating to the early nineteenth century and

billowing down between the dancer’s knee and ankle, or the

classical style, dating to the late nineteenth century and

much shorter than the romantic style so the audience can see

the line of the dancer’s leg.