Ballet's seven movements generally are credited to 18th-century influences Raoul Auger Feuillet and Jean-Georges Noverre. Feuillet, a part of the court of Louis XIV -- the emperor and ballet dancer who presided over the Renaissance's glory years -- attempted to create dance notations comparable to musical scores and wrote "Choreography on the Art of Writing Dance." Noverre transformed ballet from a relatively passionless dance form into a "ballet of action that told a story of human emotions," the Andros on Ballet website states.
Bend, Stretch, Rise Up
"Plier," in French, means to bend, and most ballet steps begin in a demi-plie, which means bending the knees with both heels firmly on the ground. This bridge step in ballet relaxes the dancer and prepares him for jumps and extensions. This position also keeps combinations light and bouncy. "Etendre," to stretch, is the opposite of the demi-plie. Stretching involves the whole body and gives a dancer lightness and lift. "Relever," to rise up, is an essential movement for much of classical ballet.
Leap and Dart
"Sauter," to jump or leap, is at the heart of ballet's allegro movements, and is cheerful and brisk. Jumping and leaping moves create a great diversity of allegro combinations. As "Teaching Beginning Ballet Techniques" describes it, these movements often seem to "defy gravity and pretend to stop in mid-air before the dancer descends like a feather." "Elancer," to dart, means to move in a different direction while in the air, refining the body of the dancer in space as he alters positions.
Glide and Turn
"Glisser," or gliding, is used in many center steps, especially during the slower movements known as "adagio." "Tourner," to turn, is performed in a fixed position, across the floor or in the air. It is essential for the advanced "pirouette" moves involving full turns on the toe or ball of one foot, which requires proper weight transfer and good balance.
Considerations
Ballet evolved from highly formal and rigid court dances, yet it retains a set of elements and steps. The four basic elements of telling a story through the medium of dance are choreography, music, plot and decoration. There are five basic foot positions, eight compass points and the aforementioned seven categories of movement. The fundamental elements collaborate in ways that allow the dancers to convey a full range of emotions that sometimes overshadow the dancer's athleticism.
