Entertainment Performing Arts Reverence in Ballet Print Matt Cardy/Getty Images Performing Arts Ballet Gear Favorite Ballets Singing Acting Musical Theater Dance Stand Up Comedy By Treva Bedinghaus Treva Bedinghaus Treva L. Bedinghaus is a former competitive dancer who has studied ballet, tap, and jazz. She writes about dance styles and practices and the history of dance. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on 02/13/19 If you've taken a ballet class, chances are you've heard talk of "reverence." Reverence typically looks like a bow or curtsy, and it is the last exercise of a ballet class, in which the ballet dancers pay respect to and acknowledge the teacher and accompanist. It is also a bow or curtsy after a performance to acknowledge the applause of the crowd. Reverence usually includes bows (for men), curtsies (for women) and ports de bras. It is a way of celebrating ballet's traditions of elegance and respect. Variations of the Ritual Although some form of reverence is common at the end of ballet dance classes, it can take many different expressions. Often, it is a simple bow that is repeated class after class. In other classes, the reverence may be a more detailed series of port de bras and steps (which can be just one more way to practice the moves before class wraps up). Reverence may also include clapping or may even be incorporated into a routine that is performed as part of a show. An especially dramatic curtsy or bow is called a grande reverence. Reverence can also pay respect to your dance partner, the other dancers in your class or group, the audience, the conductor and the pioneers of ballet who are now gone. About the Word Itself Reverence (ray-vay-rahnss) is a French word that refers to paying respect to someone in authority (such as a teacher) by a curtsy or bow.