Dance Vocabulary

GLISSADE

-To glide. Starts front the fifth position and ends in the fifth position. Glissade serves the purpose of being able to travel and obtain momentum, height, and leisure.

Definitions of Different Types of Glissades:

Glissade derrière means to glide back.
Glissade devant means to glide in front.
Glissade dessous means to glide under.
Glissade dessus means to glide over.
Glissade en arrière means to glide backward.

Glissade en avant means to glide forward.

How to:
  

Glissade derrière

When doing a glissade derrière, the back foot is the initiator and the feet do not change. The initiator closes back. This step travels to the side.

Glissade devant

The front foot is the initiator and remains closing front. There is no changing of the feet when closing back into fifth position. This step travels to the side.

Glissade dessous

The front foot is the initiator and the feet change with the front foot closing in back to the fifth position feet. This step travels to the side.

Glissade Dessus

The back foot is the initiator and it changes to close landing in front. This step travels to the side.

Glissade en arrière

The back foot is the initiator and the same foot lands closed in back fifth. The difference between glissade en arrière and glissade derrière is where the weight shift goes. You travel only to the side when doing Glissade derrière. Glissade en arrière travels directly backward, on the croise, or efface.

Glissade en avant

The front foot is the initiator, and the same foot lands closed in front fifth. The difference between glissade devant and glissade en avant is the where the weight shift of the body travels. Glissade devant travels to the side, and glissade en avant can travel downstage, croise en avant, or efface en avant.