balancé
[ba-lahn-SAY]
Rocking step. A step where a dancer moves while alternating balance between their feet. The rhythm is usually in three counts like a waltz and has the motion of going “down, up, down” with their legs.
Balançoire
[ba-lahn-SWAHR]
Like a seesaw. A step where a dancer moves while alternating balance between their feet. The rhythm is usually in three counts like a waltz and has the motion of going “down, up, down” with their legs. A term applied to exercises such as grande battements or degagés. When a dancer is doing a combination with balançoire, they will repeatedly swing their leg from front to back and may tilt their upper body slightly forward or backwards, opposite to the direction their leg is moving.
ballon
[ba-LAWN]
Bounce. Ballon is the light, elastic quality in jumping in which the dancer bounds up from the floor, pauses a moment in the air and descends lightly and softly, only to rebound in the air like the smooth bouncing of a ball.
Pas ballonné
[pah ba-law-NAY]
Ball-like or bouncing step. A step in which the dancer springs into the air extending one leg to the front, side or back and lands with the extended leg either sur le cou-de-pied or retiré. There are two kinds of ballonné: ballonné simple, which may be performed petit or grand; and ballonné compose, which is a compound step consisting of three movements. Ballonné may be executed in all the directions of the body.
ballotté
[ba-law-TAY]
Tossed. This step consists of coupé dessous and coupé dessus performed in a series with a rocking, swinging movement. The step may be performed with straight knees at 45 degrees or with développés at 90 degrees. The direction of the body is effacé with the body inclining backward or forward with each change of weight. In the Russian School, ballotté is performed it a traveling jumps forward or back. During the jump legs are holding fifth position in the air then before the landing one leg opens through sur le cou de pied in the direction which is jump is done, while the other legs lands in demi-plié. The upper body is leaning away from the opened in the air leg. In the French School and the Cecchetti method, ballotté is performed on one spot.
Ballotté can be also done in other combination aside from a jump, for example in adagio. For développé ballotté when the working leg opens at 90 degree and above forward or back, the upper body is leaning away from the opened leg.