What is the English translation of the French ballet term passe?

What is the English translation of the French ballet term passe?

• A. Passe
• B. Passed
• C. Glissade
• D. En bas

Answer: (B)

Passe describes a position where the working foot has moved past the knee of the supporting leg. In English ballet vocabulary, this is translated as passed (or passing), since the idea is that the foot has moved beyond the knee into the poised position. That makes "passed" the best English rendering. The other terms don’t fit because one is simply the French spelling of the term, one refers to a different step (glissade), and another means “low,” which describes height rather than the foot’s position.

Passe describes a position where the working foot has moved past the knee of the supporting leg. In English ballet vocabulary, this is translated as passed (or passing), since the idea is that the foot has moved beyond the knee into the poised position. That makes "passed" the best English rendering. The other terms don’t fit because one is simply the French spelling of the term, one refers to a different step (glissade), and another means “low,” which describes height rather than the foot’s position.