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Cinq
[senk]
Five. As, for example, in entrechat cinq.
Cinq positions des pieds
[sen paw-zee-SYAWN day pyay]
Five positions of the feet. There are five basic positions of the feet in classical ballet, and every step or movement is begun and ended in one or another of these positions, which were established by Pierre Beauchamp, maître de ballet of the Académie Royale de Musique et de Danse from 1671 to 1687.
Cinquième
[sen-KYEM]
Fifth. As in cinquième arabesque.
Cabriole
[ka-bree-AWL]
Cabriole. An allegro step in which the extended legs are beaten in the air. Cabrioles are divided into two categories: petite, which are executed at 45 degrees, and grande, which are executed at 90 degrees. The working leg is thrust into the air, the underneath leg follows and beats against the first leg, sending it higher. The landing is then made on the underneath leg. Cabriole may be done devant, derrière and à la seconde in any given position of the body such as croisé, effacé, écarté, etc
Cavalier
The male partner of the ballerina
Cecchetti method
Enrico Cecchetti, one of the world's outstanding teachers of ballet, established a system of passing on the tradition of ballet to future generations of dancers. This system, the Cecchetti method, was codified and recorded by Cyril Beaumont, Stanislas Idzikowski, Margaret Craske and Derra de Moroda. The method has a definite program of strict routine and includes a table of principal set daily exercises for each day of the week. The Cecchetti Society was formed in London in 1922 to perpetuate his method of teaching. In 1924 the Society was incorporated into the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. Entrance to the Society is by examination and students must pass through a carefully graded system which has done much to raise the standard of dancing and teaching throughout the British Empire.
Centre practice
Centre practice, or exercices au milieu, is the name given to a group of exercises similar to those à la barre but performed in the centre of the room without the support of the bar. These exercises are usually performed with alternate feet and are invaluable for obtaining good balance and control.
Chaînés
[sheh-NAY]
Chains, links. This is an abbreviation of the term "tours chaînés déboulés": a series of rapid turns on the points or demi-pointes done in a straight line or in a circle.
Chassé
[sha-SAY] Chased. A step in which one foot literally chases the other foot out of its position; done in a series.
Choreographer
This is the term applied to one who composes or invents ballets or dances.
Choreography
This is a term used to describe the actual steps, groupings and patterns of a ballet or dance composition.
Classical ballet
(1) The traditional style of ballet, which stresses the academic technique developed through the centuries of the existence of ballet.
(2) A ballet in which the style and structure adhere to the definite framework established in the nineteenth century. Examples of classical ballets are Coppélia, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake.
Coda
(1) The finale of a classical ballet in which all the principal dancers appear separately or with their partners.
(2) The final dance of the classic pas de deux, pas de trois or pas de quatre.
Corps
[kawr]
Body.
Corps de ballet
[kawr duh ba-LAY]
The dancers in a ballet who do not appear as soloists.
Couru
[koo-REW]
Running. As, for example, in pas de bourrée couru.
Croisé
[kmJah-ZAY]
Crossed. One of the directions of épaulement. The crossing of the legs with the body placed at an oblique angle to the audience. The disengaged leg may be crossed in the front or in the back.