Plié:  A bend of the knees. A full bending of the knees is a grand plié and a demi-plié is a half bending of the knees. The bending movement should be gradual and smooth, as should the rising movement.

Tendu: Tight or stretched – when the working leg is extended to either the front, side or back along the floor until only the tip of the toe remains touching the floor.

Relevé: Raised – a raising of the body on the ball of the foot or on demi-pointe

Port de bras: Carriage of the arms. The graceful movement or passage of the arms from one position to another.

Arabesque: A classic ballet position with one leg stretched long behind the dancer on the floor or in the air and the back knee straight. The supporting leg can be straight or bent in a demi-plié.

Passé: A movement in which the working leg lifts and passes along the supporting leg by the knee.

Piqué: Pricked. Executed by stepping directly on the point or demi-pointe of the working foot in any desired direction or position with the other foot raised in the air. As, for example, in piqué en arabesque, piqué développé and son on.

Chassé: “To chase.” A triple-step pattern in which the feet glide together step-by-step.

Dégagé: “Disengage.” Pointing the foot in any direction with a fully arched instep while the dancer’s weight remains on the straight supporting leg.

Ballon: “To bounce.” A light jump. Used to indicate the delicacy of the movement or jump.

Attitude: A pose in which the dancer stands straight on one leg with the other leg lifted in back or front and bent at 90 degrees. The arm on the side of the raised leg is curved over the head, and the other arm is held to the side.

Rond de Jambe: “Round” of the leg. A circular movement of the leg on the ground or in the air.

Fondu: “Sinking down.” A one-legged version of a plié.

Adagio: “Slow tempo.” In ballet, a tempo in which the dancer moves slowly and gracefully.

Coupé: "To cut." Used to describe a step in which the foot replaces or "cuts" the opposite foot.

Fouetté: “Whipped.” A whipping movement. It can refer to one foot whipping in front of or behind the other foot, or when the body whips around from one direction to another.

Fermé is a classical ballet term meaning “closed.” It is used along with other terms to describe how the legs are or are ending in a step. For example, a sissone fermé is when a dancer jumps into the air in a sissone and closes to both feet in fifth position. This jumping and landing in a fifth position looks like the legs and feet have “closed.”

Supporting Leg: The supporting or standing leg is the one that holds the most weight in any movement or position.

Working Leg: The leg that is executing a given movement while the weight of the body is on the supporting leg.