[ba-ley, bal-ey] 
| 1. | a classical dance form demanding grace and precision and employing formalized steps and gestures set in intricate, flowing patterns to create expression through movement. |
| 2. | a theatrical entertainment in which ballet dancing and music, often with scenery and costumes, combine to tell a story, establish an emotional atmosphere, etc. |
| 3. | an interlude of ballet in an operatic performance. |
| 4. | a company of ballet dancers. |
| 5. | the musical score for a ballet: the brilliant ballets of Tchaikovsky. |
| 6. | a dance or balletlike performance: an ice-skating ballet. |
| bal·let (bā-lā', bāl'ā') n.
[French, from Italian balletto, diminutive of ballo, dance, from ballare, to dance; see ballerina.] bal·let'ic (bā-lět'ĭk) adj. |
Theatrical entertainment in which dancers, usually accompanied by music, tell a story or express a mood through their movements. The technique of ballet is elaborate and requires many years of training. Two classical ballets are Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Two great modern ballets are The Rite of Spring, composed by Igor Stravinsky, and Fancy Free, by Leonard Bernstein.
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