Ballet Terms

Passé

Pronunciation: /pɑse/

What does “Passé” mean in ballet?

( ; literally 'passed.') Passing the working foot through from back to front or vice versa. Generally used to refer to retiré passé , indicating passing the foot of the working leg past the knee of the supporting leg (on, below, or above) from back to front or front to back. Retiré passé may initiate or complete by sliding the working foot up or down the supporting leg from or to the floor, may be executed directly from an open position such as in pirouette from fourth, or may transition from knee to another position such as arabesque or attitude (as in développé ). A chassé can also pass through from back to front as in ( sissonne ) failli : chassé passé.

See also

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Definition adapted from Glossary of ballet on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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