corps de ballet
1
9.5
- noun
- /kɔr də bɑˈleɪ/
- Specialized
:
cuerpo de ballet
- At one moment, Hoffalt balances his Lise in an attitude at the center of the corps de ballet's wheel of ribbons.
- the corps de ballet dance
Examples
-
I mean, Richard says I have a good chance of getting picked for the corps de ballet.
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"The corps de ballet," my mother says.
Fiction book (1992) -
Over her shoulder, I see Kimberly and Cindy, who are also in the corps de ballet, whispering.
Fiction book (1996) -
The corps de ballet performed beautifully during the evening's performance, captivating the audience.
-
With dedication and hard work, she was accepted into the corps de ballet of the prestigious dance company.
-
The corps de ballet supports the lead dancers, executing complex choreography in perfect harmony.
Synonyms
57
5.3
A group of musicians, singers, dancers, or actors who perform together, often supporting the main performers
How Large
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'corps' (group) + 'de' (of) + 'ballet' (ballet) yields 'group of the ballet', which straightforwardly refers to the ensemble of dancers supporting the principals. This loaned French phrase follows a regular 'group of X' pattern found cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The noun corps de ballet comes from French words corps ('body') and ballet. Imagine many dancers acting as one moving 'body' to support the lead dancers, so the phrase means the group of dancers who perform together and support the stars.