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Quiz about Ballet Terms Literal Translations
Quiz about Ballet Terms Literal Translations

Ballet Terms: Literal Translations Quiz


Just a quiz on basic steps in ballet. The answer is the literal translation from French to English.

A multiple-choice quiz by jjdancer. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
jjdancer
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
352,112
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
345
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Question 1 of 10
1. What is the literal translation of tendu? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. What is the literal translation of frappe? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. What is the literal translation of a battement? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Now for a harder one. What is the literal translation of rond de jambe? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. What is the translation for saute? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Sous sus means rise together. True or false?


Question 7 of 10
7. What does sur le-cou-de-pied mean in English? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. What is the translation for demi? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. What is the literal translation of chasse?

Answer: (5 letters)
Question 10 of 10
10. What is the literal translation for jete? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. What is the literal translation of tendu?

Answer: Tense

While tendu is pointed and you brush your foot through the floor to get to tendu, the literal translation of tendu is tense. The way you should tendu devant is you should push your heel forward as you are brushing out, preventing sickling. Your foot should go as follows: heel, instep, ball, toes.

Then to brush back, it is the opposite: toes, ball, instep, heel. This is how the tendu should look, even in fast tendu combinations.
2. What is the literal translation of frappe?

Answer: Strike

You want to flex your foot in sur le-cou-de-pied position. To frappe devant, you strike (hense the literal translation, strike) the ball of your foot to the floor and then point. You then put your foot back in sur le-cou-de-pied position with your foot flexed.
3. What is the literal translation of a battement?

Answer: Beat

A battement is not like cheerleading where you kick your leg as high as you can. If it was, it would be called a kick, not a battement. The key to a good battement is first to have good flexibility. Once you have that down, you have to brush your foot of the floor like you would do in a degage, but you want to beat as high as you can while maintaining your whole body.

The only thing that should move in a battement is the working leg. Your upper body should stay completely aligned.
4. Now for a harder one. What is the literal translation of rond de jambe?

Answer: Round of the leg

This was a hard one. Yes, the literal translation of rond de jambe is round of the leg. You want to keep your hips squared to the front and you want to really push your turnout!
5. What is the translation for saute?

Answer: Jump

The goal of a saute is to jump high enough for your bottom leg to brush out along with your top leg. You want to be able to point the foot of the bottom leg!
6. Sous sus means rise together. True or false?

Answer: False

You DO rise together in a sous sus, but that is not the literal translation. The literal translation is under over. Yes that seems like a random translation for a sous sus, but that is what it really means.
7. What does sur le-cou-de-pied mean in English?

Answer: On the neck of the foot

If you match up the French translation and the English translation you will see: Sur (on) le (the)- cou (neck)- de (of)- pied (foot)
8. What is the translation for demi?

Answer: Half

There are several things that you can put with demi, like demi plie and demi point. A lot of people just call a demi plie a plie, but the "proper" name for a plie is demi plie. Just like you can say "battement tendu" or "battement frappe" or just "tendu" and "frappe" and they mean the same thing. Demi point is how dancers start out ballet, half point.

Then as they get more experience, they move up to pointe, which is on the tips of the toes using pointe shoes.
9. What is the literal translation of chasse?

Answer: Chase

A chasse is a three step move and can be done any direction. It is a step-together-step move.
10. What is the literal translation for jete?

Answer: Thrown

While a lot of people think jete means jump, it does NOT mean jump. The literal translation is actually thrown!
Source: Author jjdancer

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor LadyCaitriona before going online.
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