glissade, (French: “sliding”), in ballet, a sliding step beginning and ending in the fifth position (feet turned out and pressed closely together, the heel of the right foot against the toe of the left, and vice versa). Used primarily as a preparation for jumps and leaps, the glissade begins when the dancer extends one leg along the floor to the front, side, or back from a fifth position with the knees slightly bent. He transfers his weight to the working leg and slides the other foot next to the first leg.