Modern Dance Vocabulary

To move into or assume a sloping position or direction.

A surface forming or suggesting the top

Torso is suspended horizontally in space like the top of a table.

The sideward bending of the body.
The plane that divides the body from front to back.
The transfer of weight from side to side.

Anything parallel or comparable in direction, course, nature, or tendency to something else.

To free (something) from (one's grip); let go or fall

Descend in free fall under the influence of gravity

An undercurve movement that combines a slide (a sliding step in a plié), an elevation and a landing on the other leg. In ballet, this is called a chassé.

A twisting action of the spin or joints.

Pendular movement consisting of a release with gravity, an arcing follow through, and a suspension. Usually done in a triple rhythm.

Lateral/outward rotation of the femur (hip) joint.

Gliding the foot along the floor, also known as a tendu in ballet.

Flexion of a joint is to bend it or decrease the angle between the bones of the joint.

Thigh bone, large bone of the upper leg.