Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
barre
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Barre being used by students of the Moscow Academic School of Choreography of the Bolshoi Theatre
Quick Facts
Related Topics:
ballet
See all related content
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Barre being used by students of the Moscow Academic School of Choreography of the Bolshoi Theatre
Barre being used by students of the Moscow Academic School of Choreography of the Bolshoi Theatre

barre

ballet
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

barre, in ballet, the horizontal handrail, usually wooden, that is fixed to the walls of a ballet studio approximately 3.5 feet (1 m) from the floor. It is used by dancers as an aid to confidence and as a point of support during the preliminary exercises (“barre work”) that have been an essential part of ballet training since the development of classical ballet in the 19th century.