Dance - Introductory

Study this list of dance terminology and leap into the world of ballet, tap, and hip-hop. You'll stretch your intellectual muscles as you learn about the job of a choreographer and the difference between an arabesque and a pirouette.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. agility
    the gracefulness of a quick and nimble person or animal
    Nokomis drank it all up, stretched her arms, hopped to her feet with a young girl’s agility. The Birchbark House
  2. alignment
    adjusting the parts of something in relation to each other
    He instructs me through the usual exercises: repetitions to strengthen my quads, hips, and hamstrings; balance exercises to help with proper alignment; stretches to increase my range of motion. The Sea in Winter
  3. angle
    incline or bend from a vertical position
    Pearl stayed just as she was, staring up at the half-clouded sky, and Mia leaned out almost to the waist, angling for the right shot. Little Fires Everywhere
  4. arabesque
    position in which the dancer has one leg raised behind
    I expected us to immediately move on to greater things, like arabesques, grands jetés, and pirouettes, but we couldn’t. Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina
  5. balance
    a state of equilibrium
    It’s as if she’s been walking on a wire, trying to keep her balance, and now, for the first time, she is on solid ground. Orphan Train
  6. ballet
    a theatrical performance of a story by trained dancers
    They were in the middle of rehearsing for a full-length ballet of "Cinderella." The Cinderella Ballet Mystery: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #4
  7. ballroom dancing
    any of a variety of social dances performed by couples in a ballroom
    Cheerful and outgoing, he was a natural performer who enchanted audiences with his singing and transfixed them with his ballroom dancing. Long Walk to Freedom
  8. beat
    the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music
    Meters can be classified by counting the number of beats from one strong beat to the next. Understanding Basic Music Theory
  9. chasse
    (ballet) quick gliding steps with one foot always leading
    I watched Zee clumsily trot across the room. “I did chasse, Mama, like you show me.”
    – The New York Times
  10. choreograph
    compose a sequence of dance steps, often to music
    The kids would spend weeks choreographing the event and making up songs, and I would attend the rehearsals, dreaming of a day when I could be a dancer in the procession. How Dare the Sun Rise
  11. choreographer
    someone who creates new dances
    Now, without the choreographer, it wasn’t coming together smoothly. Beauty Queens
  12. choreography
    a series of dance steps and movements for stage performances
    Our choreography was fresh; our moves were tight and perfectly in sync; the music was mixed beautifully. A Very Large Expanse of Sea
  13. coordination
    the skillful and effective interaction of movements
    A fast-paced Indian song pulses as Bollywood actresses in crimson outfits twirl in perfect coordination in front of a stage decorated with yellow and red flowers. Amina's Voice
  14. dance step
    a sequence of foot movements that make up a particular dance
    I’m currently going through a dance and ballet craze and am diligently practicing my dance steps every evening. The Diary of a Young Girl
  15. diagonal
    having an oblique or slanted direction
    She’d brought a gallon of water anyway, and had been bent diagonal with the weight as she’d lugged it over to the boat. The Boy Who Met a Whale
  16. extension
    act of stretching or straightening out a flexed limb
    Suzanne Slenn, my ballet teacher, said, “You were fortunate to have been born with naturally great extension and talent. I expect more of you because of that.” Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina
  17. flex
    bend a joint
    And they flex their pint-size muscles around the house for the rest of the afternoon. Betty Before X
  18. flexibility
    the property of being easily bent or shaped
    Tsukiko, however, is one of the rare contortionists whose flexibility is equal in both directions. The Night Circus
  19. folk dance
    a style of dancing that originated among ordinary people
    This is the first time I get to dance Tinikling, a folk dance that mimics a tikling bird hopping between stems of grass and running over tree branches. The House That Lou Built
  20. glide
    the act of moving smoothly along a surface while remaining in contact with it
    I catch a glimpse of white in my periphery, which turns out to be Taylor in a full-on glide. Leah on the Offbeat
  21. hip-hop
    genre of African-American music of the 1980s and 1990s in which rhyming lyrics are chanted to a musical accompaniment; several forms of rap have emerged
    All she knew was that I could effortlessly recite hip-hop lyrics while struggling with my English class. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates
  22. kinesthesis
    the ability to feel movements of the limbs and body
    Debate continues about the role of kinesthesis in handwriting performance and the effectiveness of kinesthetic training in improving handwriting.
    – Science Direct
  23. leotard
    a tight, stretchy garment worn by gymnasts and dancers
    Both had the same creamy brown complexion and wore black leotards, pink leggings, and dance shorts. Monday's Not Coming
  24. modern dance
    a style of theatrical dancing that is not as restricted as classical ballet; movements are expressive of feelings
    She does modern dance, which is like...I don't know. Sunny
  25. pantomime
    a performance using gestures and movements without words
    By question 11 — “I am terrible at pantomime, as in games like charades” — he was laughing out loud. The Tipping Point
  26. parallel
    being everywhere equidistant and not intersecting
    He denied that he was badly hurt, but he managed to look bravely-in-pain as he stumbled over to sit out the recess on the bench near the parallel bars. The Egypt Game
  27. pas de deux
    a dance for two people
    In 1957, Balanchine choreographed “Agon,” set to Stravinsky and featuring a central pas de deux for Mr. Mitchell and a white ballerina, Diana Adams.
    – The New York Times
  28. phrase
    dance movements that are linked in a single sequence
    Whether you’re aware of the intricacies of the movement phrases or not, the dancers create pictures as they peel off like synchronized swimmers or bounce in place as if prepping for a dive.
    – The New York Times
  29. pirouette
    a rapid spin of the body
    I turn a slow pirouette in the middle of the room. Everything, Everything
  30. rhythm
    the basic recurring unit in a piece of music
    They expect us to dance, or at least jump, to this horrible rhythm! Copper Sun
  31. social dancing
    dancing as part of a social occasion
    The Arlington, Va., couple are part of the Washington area’s vibrant social dancing scene, where nearly every night you can find a folk, contra or square dance.
    – The Washington Post
  32. square dance
    American country dancing in which couples form squares
    He used to play country fiddle at square dances and was twenty-two before he heard an orchestra. Cat's Eye
  33. stance
    standing posture
    But his posture was so erect and his stance so commanding that no one would dare to challenge him. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High
  34. style
    a mode of expression typical of a person, group, or period
    It was the centerpiece of Mrs. Atanabi’s whole dance number, what she used to transition from one dance style to the next. Auggie & Me
  35. tango
    a ballroom dance of Latin-American origin
    After reviewing the judges’ backgrounds, she’d decided to take a picture of performers dancing the South American tango. Shooting Kabul
  36. tap dance
    a dance step tapped out audibly with the feet
    My tap dance lessons ended over a year ago, and I’m not sure how much I’ll remember. Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun
  37. tempo
    the speed at which a composition is to be played
    Music’s tempo is rather infectious, and children respond physically to both fast and slow speeds. Music and the Child
  38. turnout
    the rotation of a dancer's leg from the hip
    “You begin to learn that the choreography is not just about footwork or technique or turnout or stamina,” Hollander said.
    – The New York Times
  39. unison
    the act of occurring together or simultaneously
    The nine girls in her group kicked up their right legs in unison. Breaking Through
  40. waltz
    a ballroom dance in triple time
    His motions were smooth and effortless, refined, as though he were dancing a waltz. The City Beautiful
Created on Mon Feb 06 10:51:14 EST 2017 (updated Mon Apr 22 13:38:49 EDT 2024)

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