Terms every dancer should know- all here in our DANCE DICTIONARY! The world of dance has its own complete language that can sometimes make it challenging to learn new techniques. To help you become fluent, Covet Dance has put together a COMPLETE LIST OF DANCE TERMS to make your dance classes a bit easier to understand so you can focus on mastering the moves! If you think of a term or step we forgot, please leave us a comment so we can add it to help make this a better tool for all dancers.
This week, from E to J :
Écarté: Separated, thrown wide apart. A position in which the dancer faces one of the two front corners of the room.
Echappé: Escaping or slipping movement. When the feet move from a closed position to an opening position.
Effacé: Shaded. Indicates a position where part of the body is taken back and almost hidden from view of the audience.
En arriére: Travelling backwards
En avant: Travelling forwards
En croix: In the shape of a cross
En dedans: Inwards (towards the supporting leg)
En dehors: Outwards (away from the supporting leg)
En face: Facing the audience.
En l’air: In the air
Entrechat: Interweaving or braiding. A step of beating in which the dancer jumps into the air and crosses the legs rapidly before and behind each other.
Épaulement: Shouldering. Use of the shoulders, neck and upper back (looking over the shoulder).
Essence: Basic movement associated with soft shoe dancing.
Extension: Arm or leg extends outwards and held for a pause
Fan Kick: The body stays in place while one leg starts inward and kicks all the way around.
Fondu: Sinking down. A melting action by bending the knee of the supporting leg.
Fouetté: A whipping movement.
Frappé: To strike.
Flap: Brush and a step with transfer of weight.
Glissade: Glide. A sliding movement of the feet from 5th to 5th.
Grand: Large.
Grapevine: A dance sequence that includes side steps across the supporting foot.
Heel/ Heel Drop: Forcefully drop the heel on the floor, with the weight placed on the ball of the foot.
Head Roll: Head moves around in a circle
Hip Walk: Traveling movement in jazz where the hips move in circular motions with the arms rounded.
Hitch Kick: Scissor kick with both legs simultaneously kicking in the same direction
Hinge: Position of the torso where the heels are lifted and the knees are bent. The body makes a straight line from knees to top of the head.
Hop: A jump into the air while keeping the heel lifted and landing on the same foot
Irish: A tap movement adopted from Irish folk dancing. It consists of a hop, and a step traveling either forwards or backwards. The shuffling foot usually crosses over while stepping.
Isolations: Movement that only involves one part of the body and the others remains still
Improvisation: The action of dancing spontaneously without predetermined choreography
Jazz Walk: Feet slightly drag across the floor and posture is low while you travel across the stage
Jump: When used in tap, indicates jumping into the air from both balls of the feet and landing on the same.
Jeté: To Throw. Throwing the weight for one foot to the other.
Source : Covetdance