Ballabile
Ensemble dance in ballet, made up of several individual dances in different rhythms.
What it means
In ballet, a ballabile is a group dance for the corps de ballet, made up of several individual sections in different rhythms. The term comes from the Italian ballabile, “danceable,” which originally referred to any danceable piece, but in ballet terminology has become a fixed name for this ensemble form.
Unlike a single uniform dance number, a ballabile shifts meter and character several times within one movement, allowing different groups of the ensemble to dance in sequence or against one another.
Musical use
The ballabile belongs to the classical structure of large 19th-century ballet acts, in which solo numbers such as the pas de deux or variation alternate with ensemble sections. The composer divides the music into short, contrasting segments that are assigned choreographically to different groups.
The ballabile should be distinguished from the pas de deux, reserved for a dancing couple, and from the variation, a virtuoso solo. While these highlight individual dancers, the ballabile shows the effect of the ensemble as a whole.
Performance practice
When listening to a ballabile, pay attention to the shifts between its individual dance sections: each usually carries its own meter and character, even though they flow musically into one another. Follow how the music distinguishes the ensemble's various dance groups, for example through orchestration or melody.