How to Do a Pirouette Turn

 

As a dancer, I often feel weightless, like I can fly, like I can do anything, which is why dancers are so captivating on stage. Especially when I’m turning, I feel this aliveness and adrenaline through my body. It is a magical feeling that I would want everyone in the audience to experience as well, which is why I’m going to illustrate with three simple steps, how to do a simple pirouette turn. 


  1. Prep and plié  

To begin, plant your feet in a parallel fourth position. To get to fourth position, you can think of putting your feet right next to each other so they are parallel and touching, and then stepping one foot about a foot in front of the other (for a right turn step your left foot in front and for a left turn step your right foot in front). Now that you’re in a parallel fourth position, bend your knees so that your back knee is almost touching the floor and extend your arm on the same side as your back leg to the front (parallel to the ground) and the arm on the same side as your front leg to the side (also parallel to the ground). This is your deep plié in your prep. 


  1. Relevé and passé 

Next, lift your back foot up and place it so it is touching the inside of your other knee and create a triangle so your thigh is parallel to the ground. This is your passé. Practice this motion of picking up your leg a few times and once you’ve got it down, try lifting your bottom heel and going on your tiptoes at the same time that your leg comes off the ground. Practice balancing in relevé with your passé connected to your knee for a few seconds at a time. 


  1. Now turn!

Finally, once you’ve mastered that, try pushing off that back foot once it comes off the ground and bringing your arms into a circle (first position) to help you turn around. When you turn, spot something at your eye level and try to keep your eyes on it for as long as you can every time your head whips around. The snap of your arms and head really helps you complete more turns and once you get the hang of it, you’ll be doing triples and quads!


Remember, practice makes perfect so if you want to do the perfect pirouette turn, keep practicing! In no time at all, you’ll be looking like the dancers you see on stage and feeling the same freedom and grace we feel. 





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

He Love Me, He Loves Me Not

Image
In my opinion, although she comes from a higher class, Othello clearly has more power in his marriage to Desdemona. She aims to please him and even pleads to him her unconditional love on her deathbed. It is evident that Desdemona loves Othello, but does Othello genuinely reciprocate her feelings?  Othello loves Desdemona’s physical appearance. He loves her fair skin and innocence, they definitely have physical attraction and banter. He also loves how greatly she recognizes his story. She truly thinks of him as a hero, as someone who has conquered great faults and achieved considerable success. However, he could love his own honor even more. This is confirmed when he strangles her to protect his own image after hearing mere accusations of unloyalty. But does his love go beyond self-fulfillment? I would argue that Othello’s love does go deeper than the surface level. He loves her heart and mind. He loves and respects that Desdemona could have had so much more if she married in her own s
Read more

Acknowledgments

Image
  First and foremost, I would like to thank my family. Thank you mom and dad for listening to me complain about English class (just kidding) and brag about my essay grades (not kidding). Also, thanks to my older brother Frank for staying awake with me on even the latest nights and the earliest mornings. Your ability to never sleep has kept my GPA alive!  Next, I would like to thank a few of my 2nd hour Valentino friends. Julia, Charlotte, and Hailey, you have all brightened my 2nd hour. No matter if it’s shooting looks at each other from across the room or making funny comments under our breaths, you have all made this class even more enjoyable!  I would also like to thank these blog posts. They have motivated me to actually do some thinking on weekends (even if it is usually Sunday morning). I truly believe I have become a better writer by just jotting down some of my thoughts each week. The consistency of my writing has improved tremendously as well as my style and organization. A bi
Read more

4 Reasons Why People Hate Poetry

Image
  4 Reasons Why People Hate Poetry: One of the most significant reasons why people hate poetry is because they simply do not understand it. Poetry can be very abstract and use language that is not familiar to the reader. We like to read concrete material that we can easily understand. This can make it difficult for some people to comprehend what the poet is trying to convey, leading to feelings of frustration and confusion.  Another reason why people hate poetry is that they feel that it is outdated and no longer relevant to our current society. Poetry has been around for centuries, and some people might view it as something that is stuck in the past, and has no relevance in the present day. In a fast-paced and technologically advanced world, many people might feel that poetry is simply not important or useful, and that it is a waste of time to read or write it. For some people, the dislike of poetry might stem from personal experiences. For example, we have all had a bad experience wi
Read more