en Face

En face means “facing,” and in ballet it describes a dancer squarely facing the audience with the body open to the front. It is one of the most basic orientations in class and on stage, used whenever a step or pose is meant to be shown straight to the front rather than on an angle.

For example, a teacher might ask for a tendu en face so the dancer stays flat to the front instead of turning toward a corner. En face is the neutral starting point from which angled directions like croisé and effacé are measured. Learning it early gives young dancers a clear reference for where “front” is, which makes following corrections about angles and directions much easier.