50 Ballet Quiz Questions and Answers

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Do you love dancing and going to the theatre? Then this ballet quiz is perfect for you!

Ballet is one of the most famous dances in the world. It’s full of grace and beauty and one of the most beautiful things to see.

I am a true theatre and ballet lover. I go to see shows several times per month and simply couldn’t wait to put together this ballet trivia game.

You will find below 5 rounds of ballet quiz questions. This includes questions about the techniques, the moves, the pointes but also the history of ballet, famous performances and ballerinas.

Make sure to take a piece of a paper and a pen so you can write down your answers and count your points after.

Round 1: Easy Ballet Trivia Questions

1. Which of the five basic ballet positions has the heels touching?
2. What is the name for the chief female dancer in a ballet company?  
3. Most ballet terms are in which language?
4. What is the name of a stiff tulle skirt worn by female ballet dancers?
5. What type of move is a Sauté?
6. What is the meaning of the term Plié?
7. Who composed the music for Swan Lake?
8. Which ballet does the Dance of the Sugar plum Fairy come from?
9. How many dancers are required for a Pas de Deux?
10. When a dancer is performing an arabesque, how many of their feet are touching the ground?

Round 1: Easy Ballet Trivia Questions and Answers

1. Which of the five basic ballet positions has the heels touching? First Position 
2. What is the name for the chief female dancer in a ballet company? Prima Ballerina 
3. Most ballet terms are in which language? French
4. What is the name of a stiff tulle skirt worn by female ballet dancers? Tutu
5. What type of move is a Sauté? A jump
6. What is the meaning of the term Plié? Bend
7. Who composed the music for Swan Lake? Tchaikovsky
8. Which ballet does the Dance of the Sugar plum Fairy come from? The Nutcracker
9. How many dancers are required for a Pas de Deux? Two
10. When a dancer is performing an arabesque, how many of their feet are touching the ground? One

Round 2: Ballet Multiple Choice Questions

1. Ballet originates from which country?
   1. France
   2. Russia
   3. Italy
   4. Spain
2. During an Adagio, the dancers move….
   1. Slowly
   2. Quickly
   3. Playfully
   4. Hurriedly 
3. What are the two types of plié?
   1. Petit-Plié and Grand-Plié
   2. Démi-Plié and Grand-Plié
   3. Démi-Plié and Plein-Plié
   4. Plein-Plié and Plié-Vide
4. Which of these is a world renowned ballet company from Russia?
   1. The Royal Russian Ballet 
   2. The Bolshoi Ballet
   3. The Moscow Ballet
   4. The Tchaikovsky Ballet
5. Which of these ballets was not written by Stavinsky?
   1. Firebird
   2. The Rite of Spring
   3. Petrushka
   4. Gayene
6. Which choreographer choreographed several famous ballets including Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and La Fille du Pharaon?
   1. Marius Petipa
   2. Vaslav Nikinski
   3. Mikhail Fokin
   4. Katti Lanner
7. Which of these terms refers to a step in which a dancer moves their leg in a semi-circle motion, either on the floor or in the air?
   1. Pas de Chat
   2. Pirouette
   3. Rond de Jambe
   4. Fouette 
8. To perform a Soubresaut, a dancer….
   1. Jumps from one foot onto the opposite foot.
   2. Jumps from two feet and lands on one foot.
   3. Jumps from one foot and lands on one foot. 
   4. Jumps from two feet and lands on two feet.
9. The final scene of which ballet takes place in a bullring?
   1. Firebird
   2. Don Quixote
   3. Toreador 
   4. Carmen
10. The three main characters of Petrushka are all…
    1. Servants 
    2. Children
    3. Puppets
    4. Prisoners 

Round 2: Ballet Multiple Choice Questions and Answers

1. Ballet originates from which country? C. Italy
2. During an Adagio, the dancers move…. A. Slowly
3. What are the two types of plié? B. Démi-Plié and Grand-Plié
4. Which of these is a world renowned ballet company from Russia? B. The Bolshoi Ballet
5. Which of these ballets was not written by Stavinsky? D. Gayene
6. Which choreographer choreographed several famous ballets including Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and La Fille du Pharaon? A. Marius Petipa
7. Which of these terms refers to a step in which a dancer moves their leg in a semi-circle motion, either on the floor or in the air? C. Rond de Jambe
8. To perform a Soubresaut, a dancer…. D. Jumps from both feet and lands on both feet.
9. The final scene of which ballet takes place in a bullring? D. Carmen
10. The three main characters of Petrushka are all… c. Puppets

Round 3: Ballet Quiz – True or False

1. The hard points (box) in pointe shoes are made from wood.
2. In Renaissance ballet, dancers wore masks.
3. A production which combines elements of opera and ballet is called an Opéra-Ballet?
4. Though its name literally means Russian Ballet, the early 20th century ballet company Ballets Russes never performed in Russia.
5. The term ‘Revelé lent’ literally means ‘raised quickly.’  
6. Bolero and Daphnis et Chloé were both written by Chopin.
7. Prokofiev’s ballet adaptation of Romeo and Juliet follows the same act structure of the original Shakespeare play.
8. The Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet is located in Saint Petersburg.
9. The Mariinsky Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the world.
10. The term Echappé describes the foot moving from first, third or fifth position to second or fourth position.

Round 3: Ballet Quiz Answers – True or False

1. The hard points (box) in pointe shoes are made from wood. False, they are made from packed fabric, burlap and cardboard
2. In Renaissance ballet, dancers wore masks. True
3. A production which combines elements of opera and ballet is called an Opéra-Ballet. True
4. Though its name literally means Russian Ballet, the early 20th century ballet company Ballets Russes never performed in Russia. True
5. The term ‘Revelé lent’ literally means ‘raised quickly.’ False, it means raised slowly. 
6. Bolero and Daphnis et Chloé were both written by Chopin. False, they were written by Ravel
7. Prokofiev’s ballet adaptation of Romeo and Juliet follows the same act structure of the original Shakespeare play. False
8. The Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet is located in Saint Petersburg. True
9. The Mariinsky Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the world. False, it’s the Paris Opera Ballet
10. The term Echappé describes the foot moving from first, third or fifth position to second or fourth position. True

Round 4: Medium Ballet Trivia Questions

1. At the court of which French king was ballet popularised?
2. How many dancers are on stage for the Dance of the Little Swans in Swan Lake?
3. Which ballet caused a riot on its opening night in 1913?
4. What position will a dancer start in when performing a Pas de Cheval?  
5. Which ballet move is named after the sound of a whip being cracked?
6. Which ballet company is resident of the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden?
7. The coda of which ballet sees the female lead perform 32 counts of fouettes?
8. In which ballet by Aram Khachaturian would you find the characters Crassus, Phrygia and Aegina?  
9. What ballet step literally means ‘interweaving’ or ‘braiding?’
10. Sergei Diaghilev was the founder and impresario of which ballet company?

Round 4: Medium Ballet Trivia Questions and Answers

1. At the court of which French king was ballet popularised? Louis XIV
2. How many dancers are on stage for the Dance of the Little Swans in Swan Lake? Four
3. Which ballet caused a riot on its opening night in 1913? The Rite of Spring
4. What position will a dancer start in when performing a Pas de Cheval? Fifth position 
5. Which ballet move is named after the sound of a whip being cracked? Flic-Flac
6. Which ballet company is resident of the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden? The Royal Ballet
7. The coda of which ballet sees the female lead perform 32 counts of fouettes? Swan Lake
8. In which ballet by Aram Khachaturian would you find the characters Crassus, Phrygia and Aegina? Spartacus 
9. What ballet step literally means ‘interweaving’ or ‘braiding?’ Entrechat
10. Sergei Diaghilev was the founder and impresario of which ballet company? Ballets Russes

Round 5: Hard Ballet Trivia Questions

1. Don Quixote, the Pharaoh’s Daughter and The Butterfly all premiered in which decade?
2. What is the time signature of a Polonaise?
3. Who was the first African American Prima Ballerina?
4. Who choreographed Afternoon of a Faune?
5. At which theatre did The Nutcracker premier in December 1892?
6. Which city is the La Scala Theatre Ballet based in?
7. For which ballerina did Mikhail Fokin choreograph The Dying Swan?
8. Where does the main character of Christopher Wheeldon’s Carnival of the Animals fall asleep in the first scene?
9. What was the first ballet where dancing en pointe was done for aesthetic purposes rather than just as an acrobatic stunt?
10. Which Benjamin Britten ballet score is based on sea shanties?

Round 5: Hard Ballet Trivia Questions and Answers

1. Don Quixote, the Pharaoh’s Daughter and The Butterfly all premiered in which decade? 1860s
2. What is the time signature of a Polonaise? 3/4
3. Who was the first African American Prima Ballerina? Janet Collins
4. Who choreographed Afternoon of a Faune? Vaslav Nijinsky
5. At which theatre did The Nutcracker premier in December 1892? The Mariinsky Theatre
6. Which city is the La Scala Theatre Ballet based in? Milan
7. For which ballerina did Mikhail Fokin choreograph The Dying Swan? Anna Pavlova
8. Where does the main character of Christopher Wheeldon’s Carnival of the Animals fall asleep in the first scene? The American Museum of Natural History
9. What was the first ballet where dancing en pointe was done for aesthetic purposes rather than just as an acrobatic stunt? La Sylphide 
10. Which Benjamin Britten ballet score is based on sea shanties? Plymouth Town

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