ballet

American  

[ba-ley, bal-ey] / bæˈleɪ, ˈbæl eɪ /

noun

1. a classical dance form demanding grace and precision and employing formalized steps and gestures set in intricate, flowing patterns to create expression through movement.

2. a theatrical entertainment in which ballet dancing and music, often with scenery and costumes, combine to tell a story, establish an emotional atmosphere, etc.

3. an interlude of ballet in an operatic performance.

4. a company of ballet dancers.

5. the musical score for a ballet.

   the brilliant ballets of Tchaikovsky.

6. a dance or balletlike performance.

   an ice-skating ballet.

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ballet British  

/ bæˈleɪ, bæˈlɛtɪk, ˈbæleɪ /

noun

1. 1. a classical style of expressive dancing based on precise conventional steps with gestures and movements of grace and fluidity

   2. ( as modifier )

      ballet dancer

2. a theatrical representation of a story or theme performed to music by ballet dancers

3. a troupe of ballet dancers

4. a piece of music written for a ballet

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ballet Cultural  

1. Theatrical entertainment in which dancers, usually accompanied by music, tell a story or express a mood through their movements. The technique of ballet is elaborate and requires many years of training. Two classical ballets are Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Two great modern ballets are The Rite of Spring, composed by Igor Stravinsky, and Fancy Free, by Leonard Bernstein.

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Other Word Forms

• balletic adjective
• balletically adverb

Etymology

Origin of ballet

1660–70; < French, Middle French < Italian balletto, equivalent to ball ( o ) ball ² + -etto -et

Example Sentences

Built in the 1920s, the three-story structure has had many past lives—including one as a ballet school.

From MarketWatch

Also known as Cambodia's royal ballet, classical dance performances were originally mounted for court occasions such as coronations or marriages.

From Barron's

The PBS series “Great Performances” fulfills an early, generally unkept, promise of the medium to bring the arts into every home, with opera, ballet and theater.

From Los Angeles Times

Bardot studied ballet at the Paris Conservatoire and, at her mother’s urging, pursued modeling.

From Los Angeles Times

Her mother encouraged her interest and enrolled her in ballet classes from the age of seven.

From BBC

Related Words

• choreography
• dance