ballet blanc

[ French ba-le blahn ]

noun

, plural bal·lets blancs [b, a, -le , blahn, blahnz].

1. a ballet in which the ballerinas' skirts are white.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ballet blanc¹

1945–50; < French: literally, white ballet

Example Sentences

For the choreographer Christopher Williams, growing up in Syracuse, it was at a performance of “Les Sylphides,” recognized as the first ballet blanc, or plotless ballet.

From New York Times

For the choreographer Christopher Williams, growing up in Syracuse, it was at a performance of “Les Sylphides,” recognized as the first ballet blanc, or plotless ballet.

From New York Times

A curious framing device — which sees these same three characters adopting different personae — gives “Ballet Blanc” a dreamlike quality.

From Los Angeles Times

Then there are movies such as writer-director Anne-Sophie Dutoit’s “Ballet Blanc,” which aim to upset viewers with unrelenting oddity.

From Los Angeles Times

For “Period” is pure, a kind of contemporary dance equivalent of a ballet blanc, that genre in which white costumes signify a shift toward abstract form.

From New York Times