Pirouette

A turn step. The most popular turn step in ballet. Anyone wanting to see your technique looks at your pirouette. A good double is important for ever dancer. The best male dancers can do seven or more turns. A good girl dancer can do three to four turns on or off pointe. A pirouette is a complete turn of the body. There is a great variety of pirouettes. Intermediate I students start with one turn. The most popular is pirouette en dehor (outside) with one foot in passé (retiré) front. The preparation is fourth position with your weight over your front leg. Arms in arabesque for a girl, and rounded for a boy. Teaching pirouettes is very controversial in terms of arms and how you get your force. We use the centrifugal force method. There are also pirouette in a la seconde, attitude, and arabesque. All can be done inside and outside. As a general rule, outside are easier than inside. A good turner is usually good at holding their balance on one leg, and if you are good at balancing, you are usually a good turner. The platform the ball of your foot makes on the floor on demi-pointe helps determine this. Pirouettes are fun, so start practicing them. See the Turn file and Training Secrets file for more turn information. Pirouette en dehors (outside).