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50 Ballet terms in French every Dancer Should Know

Ballet is not just movement—it’s a language. Step into any studio in the world and you’ll hear instructions in French, the universal vocabulary of ballet. These words carry centuries of artistry, connecting dancers across time and cultures.

For English speakers, understanding the exact meaning of these French terms adds depth to your practice. You don’t just copy movements—you embody them with full awareness of their poetry.

Here is your artistic guide to 50 essential ballet words and expressions in French, with their English translations.

Positions: the Foundations

Ballet begins with stillness, with the placement of the feet and arms:

  1. Première position – First position
  2. Deuxième position – Second position
  3. Troisième position – Third position
  4. Quatrième position – Fourth position
  5. Cinquième position – Fifth position
  6. Bras bas – Arms low (resting position of the arms)
  7. Port de bras – Carriage of the arms

The Language of the Legs and Feet

Every step tells a story through precision:

  1. Plié – Bend of the knees
  2. Relevé – Raised (rising onto the balls of the feet)
  3. Tendu – Stretched
  4. Dégagé – Disengaged
  5. Rond de jambe – Circle of the leg
  6. Développé – Developed (the leg unfolds)
  7. Fondu – Melted
  8. Frappé – Struck
  9. Battement – Beating action of the leg
  10. Grand battement – Large beating (a powerful high kick)

Movements Across Space

Ballet travels, glides, and sweeps the floor:

  1. Glissade – Glide
  2. Chassé – Chased
  3. Pas de bourrée – A linking step of small movements
  4. Balancé – A rocking step, like a waltz
  5. Pas de chat – Step of the cat (a light, springing jump)
  6. Coupé – Cut (one foot displaces the other)

Jumps and Elevation

The heartbeat of ballet is in its leaps:

  1. Sauté – Jumped
  2. Jeté – Thrown
  3. Assemblé – Assembled (feet meet in the air)
  4. Entrechat – Interweaving (feet beating in the air)
  5. Grand jeté – Big leap, a soaring movement across space
  6. Temps levé – Time raised (a hop on one foot)
  7. Tour en l’air – Turn in the air

Grace and Flow

Ballet is not only technique, it is poetry in motion:

  1. Adagio – Slow, graceful sequence
  2. Allégro – Bright, lively movement
  3. Épaulement – Shouldering, the use of the upper body with expression
  4. Enchaînement – A combination of steps linked together
  5. Manège – Circular traveling sequence
  6. Arabesque – A long, elegant line with the leg extended behind
  7. Attitude – A bent position of the leg, inspired by classical sculpture

Directions and Qualities

Ballet speaks in directions, almost like compass points of artistry:

  1. En avant – Forward
  2. En arrière – Backward
  3. De côté – To the side
  4. En dedans – Inward
  5. En dehors – Outward
  6. En croix – In the shape of a cross (to the front, side, back, side)

Expressions of Elevation and Beauty

The final layer of ballet is expression:

  1. Penché – Leaning, tilting forward
  2. Pirouette – Whirl, spin
  3. Sissonne – A jump that splits the legs in the air
  4. Fouetté – Whipped (a sharp whipping turn of the body or leg)
  5. Pas de deux – Step for two (a duet)
  6. Variation – A solo dance
  7. Coda – The brilliant finale of a performance

The Poetry of French in Ballet

When you dance these words, you don’t just move—you speak French through your body. Each term carries history, culture, and artistry. By learning their meaning, you step more fully into the tradition and soul of ballet.

And for English speakers, this opens a beautiful possibility: to learn French itself through the art form you already love.

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