Abstract

The concept 'temps' as ballet terminology was born with the birth of danse classique in the 17th century, following the concept of the same term established in the music theory in the same period. The term, which denotes a unit of dance movement basically, had been re-defined repeatedly through ballet history, especially in relation to the concept 'pas'. However, in current ballet theories traditional ideas of 'temps' seem to have disappeared, and the term can be seen only in names of some ballet steps. Why did the concept emerge in the ballet, how was it understood in the different periods of the ballet history and why did it become unused? To answer these questions I, at first, traced the original idea of this term in the music. Then I examined the various definitions of 'temps' and usages of this term found in main dance books since the 17th century. Viewing over transformations of ballet steps under the influence of the concept 'temps' through ballet history, it can be noticed that, though the concept is no more used in the theory today, it remains alive practically in actual ballet movements