Glossary of Dance
Terminology
Whilst this Glossary uses predominantly The NTA approved terminology
ACCENT - Emphasis on a particular step or
move in a pattern, or, in music, the emphasis on a certain beat in a measure.
ACROSS - Movement across the Line Of Dance
ACROSS LEFT - The Right foot will cross in front
of the Left foot.
ACROSS RIGHT - The Left foot will cross in front of
Right foot.
ADD - See Tag
ADVANCED A dancer with the ability to perform
intricate moves and patterns and improvise freely within them.
ALIGNMENT - the alignment of the body part with
respect to the torso. See Floor
Alignment
AND- Used when 2 movements are to he done
simultaneously, i.e.: 1. Step forward and clap hands.
& (ampersand) - The upbeat that precedes
or follows the whole downbeat. &1 precedes the beat, 1& follows
the beat. Unlike the usage of the term
"and", the ampersand is used when "Step and clap" means two
separate movements (on the downbeat and the other on the up-beat) and is
notated in step descriptions as:
1 Step
forward on Left foot
& Clap
hands
AND STEP Signifies weight change
with a movement. For instance, in
describing the first three steps in a
Grapevine right, the description would read:
1. Step
to the right with Right foot.
2. Cross
Left foot behind Right and step.
3. Step to the right with Right foot.
Without the "and step" the Left foot would still
be dangling behind the Right foot and, unless you can fly,
executing Step 3 will be quite difficult.
ANKLE ROCK - Feet are crossed and ankles are in a
locked position. Shift weight one or
more time from
forward foot to trailing foot and back maintaining the locked ankle position.
APART - Movement away from partner.
APPLEJACKS - A foot traveling movement in place
as follows:
1 With weight on Left heel and ball of right foot, swivel Left toe to the left and Right heel to the left
(feet are in a "V" position, toes pointed outward.
& Swivel
Left toe and Right heel back to centre.
2 With
weight on Right heel and ball of left foot, swivel Right toe to the right and
Left heel to the right
(feet
= in a "V" position, toes pointed outward.
& Bring
feet together
Move can be done with opposite weight changes. Also see Traveling Applejacks
ARCH - A curvature of the torso initiated
by lifting the ribcage. Also See
Partner Dance Positions Arch
ATTITUDE -The free leg is turned out, and
extended backward with a bent knee
BACK - To the back of the dancer.
BACKWARD - The area behind the dancer.
BALANCE - A state of equilibrium or body
stability. To keep the centre of the mass over the support base.
BALANCE STEP- A maneuver usually performed in waltz
time, wherein there is a stride forward, or back, and the weight his
held on the stepping foot for the following two beats. For example: 1. Stride forward on Left foot
2, 3. Hold for two beats
BALL CHANGE - A quick change of weight from the
ball of one foot to the other foot.
This move is usually preceded by
either a kick or a heel touch.
BALLROOM - See Partner Dance Positions
BANJO - See Partner Dance Positions -
Parallel
BAR-In sheet music a vertical line that
separates measures. In music jargon a
"bar" is a measure of music,
hence "12 bar blues" means there are 12 measures
in a verse. See Measure
BASKET - See Partner Dance positions - Wrap
BEAT - The pulse of music. The basis for describing step descriptions
and footwork.
BEGINNER –A dancer at the introductory stages
of dance. .
BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE -
BEHIND - The free foot will go behind the
opposite foot.
BODY ALIGNMENT - The position of the feet to the
room. Includes: Down ' LOD, Backing
LOD, Facing wall,
Facing centre, Facing
diagonally to wall, Facing diagonally to centre,
Facing diagonally to wall against LOD,
Facing diagonally to centre
against LOD.
BODY RISE - The rise of the body as controlled
by bracing the leg muscles or stretching the spine.
Used in C/W Waltz and Polka. See Rise
(Rise & Fall)
BODY ROLL - Done forward, backward or
sideways. A movement where different
parts of the body move in
order respectively. a.k.a. "Ripple"
BOOGIE - The free hip and leg lifts and moves
circularly in the direction of the non-weighted leg.
BOOGIE ROLL - Similar to Forward Cuban Motion,
using a bent knee, but the hip stays back
BOOGIE WALK - While moving forward, the
non-support hip and leg moves forward using a circular
movement transferring weight to moving leg.
BOX STEPS - A maneuver, usually completed in 8
beats, which forms a box on the floor.
Example:
1 Step
forward on Left foot
2· Step
Right foot next to Left
3· Step
to the left on Left foot
4· Touch
Right foot next to Left
5· Step
back on Right foot
6· Step
Left foot next to right
7· Step
to the right on Right foot
8· Touch
Left foot next to right
BPM - Beats Per Minute. see Tempo.
BREAK - 1. Reverse direction.
2. The 6 count pattern in Swing is called a break pattern.
3. In music, the instrumental section within
a song.
BREAK
TURN - Also called Step
Turn. A phrasing variation on the
Military Pivot wherein the step forward
and the turn is done on the first beat. The weight change occurs on the second beat
as follows:
1 Step
forward onto Right foot while pivoting 1/2 turn CCW
2 Step
down in place onto Left foot
BRUSH - On a Brush the free leg swings
forward or back with the sole of the foot brushing the floor as it moves. See scuff.
BUMP - Dancers bump hips to the side or
with their partner.
BUTTERFLIES - See Heel Splits or Toe Splits
BUTTERMILKS - See Heel Splits or Toe Splits
BUZZ - A turn in one spot. Also called a Paddle Turn. See Paddle Turn Footwork
CAMEL WALK - A two beat maneuver in which a step
forward is made on the first beat. On
the second beat,
the forward foot does a knee pop while the trailing foot slides up to and under
the upraised heel of the forward foot
CANTER RHYTHM - 3/4 time. An uneven pattern using one long count (1, 2) and one short count
(3).
Two steps taken to 3 beats of music.
CATHEDRAL - See Partner Dance Positions -Arch
CCW - See Counterclockwise
CHA CHA
STEP -Three steps done to two beats of music. Count 1&2
- Left, Right, Left (LRL), or Right, Left, Right (RLR)
and is used with Cha Cha rhythm.
CHANGE OF WEIGHT - Shifting weight from the supporting
foot to the free foot. See And Step
CHARLESTON (Traditional) – A 4 count step pattern
swiveling the feet in and out. Example:
1 Step
forward on Left foot with heel swiveled inward
& Swivel
Left heel outward
2 Kick
Right foot forward while swiveling Left heel inward
& Swivel
Left heel outward
3 Step
back on Right foot with Right heel turned outward
& Swivel
Right heel inward
4 Touch
left toe back while swiveling Right heel outward
& Swivel
Right heel inward
CHARLESTON KICK - Traditional Charleston without
swivels; a.k.a. Charleston. Example is
left lead:
1 Step
forward Left
2 Kick
Right forward
3 Step
back Right
4 Touch
Left toe back
CHASE - A figure where one partner pursues
the other.
CHASSE’ - Pronounced Shah-say. A series of side steps. The free foot never passes the supporting
foot.
May be done forward or backward
CHOREOGRAPHER –
One who authors a dance or a sequence of movements in dance
CHOREOGRAPHY
A planned sequence of dance movements in dance
CHUG with weight on ball of one foot lift
the opposite foot and scoot forward.
For Hip-Hop a Chug is a movement
with the weight on the ball of one foot while using the opposite foot to push
off and complete a turn without moving
the weighted foot
COASTER STEPS – A Syncopated maneuver in which the
starting foot steps in a given direction, then the traveling
foot closes with the starting foot and then the starting foot steps in the
opposite direction
CORKSCREW
- A Maneuver similar to an “unwind” in that it starts with the crossing
of one foot over to the other side of
the other foot and placing the weight
fully onto the balls of both feet. The
turn, or unwind, is excluded. However,
the
legs end up in an opposite crossed position on completion. A corkscrew can either be a 3/4 turn or a
full turn in duration.
Upon completion a full corkscrew turn, the trailing foot is usually lifted off
the floor to relieve pressure on t he hips and
to facilitate an easy transition into the next step
.
COTTON EYED JOE
POSITION - See
Partner Dance Positions – Side By Side,
COUNT - A call used to count the rhythm of foot
movements and weight changes, or to count the beats of music.
CRADLE - See Partner Dance Position - Wrap
CROSS – The free foot will step across in
front or behind the opposite foot. See
Across Left and Across Right
CROSS BACK - See Partner Dance Positions -
skaters
CROSS BALL CHANGE - See Sailor Shuffle
CROSS SHUFFLE - See Gallop
CUBAN MOTION – A discreet but excessive hip
movement achieved by bending and straightening the knee with carefully
timed weight transfer. The foot is
moved delaying weight transfer. Knee of
the moving leg bends inward
CUDDLE -See Partner Dance Position – Wrap
DIAGONAL, - 45 degrees out from centre.
DIG -To place the ball or the heel of the
free foot to the floor with a strong emphasis.
DIP - A slight of the support knee (pile)
to a sitting position with the free leg extended forward.
The thighs are parallel. Also called
Corte
DOUBLE FOOT BOOGIE - A Four beat pattern of toe &
Heel
(Heel & Toe)
swivels described as follows:
1 With
weight on heels swivel toes outward diagonally
2 With
weight on toes, swivel heels outward diagonally
3 With
weight on toes, swivel heels inward
4 With
weight on heels, bring toes together
DOWNBEAT - The accented basis in measure music.
There are four of these in a 4/4 measure.
They are the numbers when counting 1&2&3&4&
or &1&2&3&4, while the ampersands are the upbeats.
DRAG - Bring free foot slowly together to
the supporting foot
DRAW - See Drag
ELECTRIC KICKS - This a Hip Hop manoeuvre and is done
as follows
1 Step
forward on right while kicking left foot backwards slightly off floor
2 Step
back on left foot while kicking Right forwards slightly off floor
3 Step
back on right while kicking Left forwards slightly off of floor
4 Step
fwd on left while kicking right backwards slightly off floor
Double Electric Kicks is the above 4 beat manoeuvre dons twice
FALL AWAY - See Partner Dance position-
Promenade,
FAN - See Heel Fan or Toe Fan
FAN KICK - A high, straight leg kick where the extended
leg makes a circular sweep.
FIGURE FORE (FOUR) - The, The free leg moves as a
pendulum in front of the weighted foot and is kept off the floor.
The toe is pointed downward.
FLARE - A low kick on or near the floor
FLEA HOP - A skip or scoot sideways in the
direction of the non-support leg. The
hip moves upward
FLICK - A lift of the foot bending at the
knee.
FLOD - Line of Direction, Line of Dance, or
Forward Line of Dance on the dance floor.
The direction that the dance is
normally flowing in.
The term FLOD is most often used when there are a number of direction
changes in a step description.
FLOD is usually counter clockwise around the dance
floor. Against FLOD is RLOD
(Usually anti-clockwise around the dance floor.) See ILOD, OLOD,
FLOOR ALIGNMENT - See FLOD, ILOD, RLOD, OLOD,
Alignment
FOLLOW THROUGH - The non-support foot passes by the
weighted foot before changing directions
FOOT BOOGIE A four beat pattern of toe / heel
swivels (right or left) with one foot staying in as follows:
Right Foot Boogie
1 Keeping
Left in place, swivel Right toe to right
2 Swivel
Right heel to right
3 Swivel
Right heel to centre
4 Swivel
right toe to centre left
Left Foot Boogie is opposite above,
FOOT PARTS - Parts of the foot used in dance
1 Toe
2 Inside
edge of the toe
3 0utside
edge of the toe
4 Ball
5 Inside
edge of the ball
6 Outside
edge of the Ball
7 Heel
8 Inside
edge of the heel
9 Outside
edge of the heal
10 Flat
11 Inside
edge of the flat foot (instep)
12
Outside edge of the flat foot
FOOTWORK - The use of the five positions of the
feet in dancing.
1 Feet
together 2 Feet Parallel
3 Heel
to instep – instep to heel 4 Forward or back
5 Toe
to heel, Heel to Toe
FRAME - Dance posture for the purpose of
maintaining balance, posture & appearance.
FREEZE - A step - no movement. See Hold.
FRONT SIDE - The area half way between the front
and the side.
GALLOP a.ka. Cross Shuffle - A sideway
syncopated manoeuvre wherein one
foot crosses over the other and
Steps and then the trailing foot pushes off towards the direction of
travel. The leading foot hen steps
again
towards direction of travel to complete the manoeuvre. For example:
1 Cross
Right foot over left and step
& Push
off to the left slightly with Left in place
2 Step
to the left on Right.
GRAPEVINE - A continuous traveling step to the
side with crosses behind and/or across in front.
VINE is an abbreviation. The Grapevine is a
3-count move to either side. The 4th count is an optional ending,
such as a brush, kick, scoot, etc. Any more than 3 counts is called a WEAVE. See Weave
GRIND WALK - Also called a Heel Twist and a Suzie
Q. 1. The right heel is extended
forward across left foot
with the right toe pointing toward the left. 2. Keeping the weight on the right heel
twist the right toes to the
right as the left foot steps to side left.
HAMMERLOCK - a.k.a. Hammer. See Partner Dance Positions - Pretzel
HEEL BALL CHANGE - Touch heel forward on Count 1,
quickly change weight to opposite foot on” & Count”,
followed by a quick weight change back to starting foot on Count 2. This move
is done in place.
HEEL BOUNCE The simultaneous raising of both heels
(either together or slightly apart) and lowering them to the floor.
a.k.a. Heel Raises, Executed on beats
&1&2
HEEL FAN Feet are together, the heel of one
foot move to the side & back together.
HEEL CLICKS – Fast heel spreads (splits) counted
& 1 & 2, clicking the heels slightly together on the down beet
HEEL SPLITS - Feet together with weight on the balls of both feet
Push heels apart on count 1. Bring heels together on count 2.
A FAST HEEL SPLIT takes one beat of music and is counted
as & 1 or 1 & See toe splits.
Also known as Scissors,
Butterflies Buttermilks, Spits. Pigeon Toes, Heel Spreads, Texas Spread etc
HEEL STOMP - Lift both heels off the floor by
bending the knees. Return the heels to
the floor with emphasis.
See Heel Bounces
HEEL SWIVELS - With feet together and weight on the
balls of the feet shift both heels either right or left and back to centre.
HEEL TOUCH -,See Touch
HIP BUMPS - Move hips out and back.
HIP LIFT- The hip lifts the leg by rotating the
hips around the axis or the hips lift sideways
HEEL SWITCHES - A syncopated movement in which the
weighted and un-weighted feet switch places from heel
touches to home position. Example: Usually done in multiples as below.
1 Touch
Right heel forward.
& Step
right to home.
2 Touch Left heel forward.
& Step
Left to home
HEEL TWIST - See Grind Walk
HITCH - A lifting of a leg without executing
a scoot
HITCH HIKE –Upper body movement either thumb
points back over shoulders, usually while stepping back.
HOOK - The free foot moves as a pendulum in
front or back of the weighted foot and is kept off the floor.
HOOK COMBINATION is a 4 count move using
1 Touch
heel front
2 Hook
free foot over opposite knee
3 Touch
heel front
4 Step
together
HOP - A spring into the air from one foot landing
on the same foot.
HORSESHOE - See Partner Dance Positions -Side By
Side,
ILOD
- Inside Line Of Dance. Dance facing centre of dance floor
IMPROVISE - To add moves and variations within
an original Choreography, i.e. rolling turns during Grapevines, etc.
JAZZ SQUARE - a.k.a. Jazz
Box. A dance pattern with 4 weight
changes as follows.
Left
1 Cross
Left foot over right and step
2 Step
back on Right foot
3 Step
to the left on Left