toe dance

6.1

A dance on the tips of the toes usually in ballet

noun
/toʊ dæns/

: danza de puntas

The audience was amazed by the dancer's graceful toe dance routine.

Examples

She trained for years to master the toe dance for her performance as the lead swan.
She loves to perform a toe dance.
Performing a toe dance requires both strength and precision.
The toe dance requires great skill.
The ballerina trained for years to perfect her toe dance routine for the upcoming performance.
During the recital, the audience was captivated by the elegant toe dance performed by the young dancers.
She wore special shoes to make her toe dance look effortless as she glided across the stage.

Synonyms

toe dancing

vstoe dance

6.1

A way of dancing on the tips of the toes in special shoes, usually in ballet

describes the actual dance performed on the tips of the toes

How Elevated

pointe

Specialized

4 8.5

toe dance

6.1

Surface Forms

toe dance singular

toe dances plural

Morphology

toe + dance

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from combining 'toe' (a digit of the foot) with 'dance' (a choreographed movement); it clearly denotes a dance performed using the toes or on the tips of the toes. This noun–noun composition is a common, literal pattern in English (and mirrored in many languages), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Toe dance comes from the image of a dancer rising onto the tips of their toes to make a very light dance. That's why it means 'a dance on the tips of the toes', often seen in 'ballet'.