Pirouettes

[Skye90]

In other forums and topics on Ballet Talk, I have heard dancers tell of how many pirrouettes they do...ranging from 3 to 9 (and I'm sure more!) I do RAD, and I'm doing Advanced 1. I'm pretty sure that we only do doubles in Advanced 1 and Grade 8 and that they introduce triples in Adv 2. So, my turning is fairly poor; I can't get more then a triple. (Not to speak of pointe!) Is it that other syllabys include more turns, or that their teachers just encourage them to do more? Are multiple turns necessary for ballet at the higher levels, or are triples ok?

 

Skye

[Victoria Leigh]

Skye, at the higher levels these days we do see dancers doing consistent triples, and sometimes more. However, really good, well placed and solididly landed triples are very respectable. But there is nothing wrong with going for more, especially since one needs to be able to do more in class than they can be expected to do consistently on stage. If you are capable of doing more, do it. Or work on it. Don't limit yourself to a syllabus if you are able to go beyond it. However, the importance of the turns being clean, well placed and rotated, and most important, finished, cannot be underestimated. And of course you must finish on the music!

[Mel Johnson]

You'll seldom, if ever, be asked to do more than a triple for performance purposes. If you can, somebody will accommodate them, if that's what they want.

[Skye90]

Thanks I'm glad that doing just triples isn't such a crime afterall. Now, lets see about doing 4

[dance91]

My pirouettes on pointe are very weak! What can I do to strengthen them?

[Guest SweetSorrow004]

As long as you have a clean pirouette, it doesn't matter wether you can only do a triple (which is very good to do consistently clean)

[dance91]

Thanks SweetSorrow004! The max I have done on pointe is two. I really would like to pull off a clean triple. But clean is the key word! Thanks for your opinion!

[Nutmegdancer]

Hi, I am still working on my triple piruettes, i can't even talk about pointe work,but i just got something that made me laugh,try to do what your teacher says! i kept my back up straight,leaned forward alittle,and stretched my legs really hard,and i made a perfect triple! i always used to think that you shouldn't do something that made you feel uncomfortable,because once,i did what my teacher said,and i fell and hit my thigh on the floor! so i only did what i THOUGHT i could do,but that is NOT true!like my friends say,what is the worst thing that could happen?

 

You can do it!

Nutmegdancer

[dance91]

Thank you Nutmegdancer! I will use your advice to day in class!!! I guess the worst thing that could happen is that I would fall! Oh well, get back up I suppose!

[dance91]

I fooled around with your advice today in class and it worked! Thank you so much!!!!!

[tillie]

Well, I just feel that consistancy is a major factor. I mean, really well done if you can do 7 pirouettes, but can you do them consistantly and technically accurate? As long as your technically correct and consistant, you should be ok.

[dance91]

Thanks Tillie!

Edited March 17, 2006 by dance91

[tillie]

You're welcome!

[dance91]

WOW! Your living in London! I went there in Jan. I bet you are taking at a great ballet school! I loved it there!!!

[tillie]

Um... saddly no. I moved here for school and then I went to this one school in my area and it was horrendously aweful. There's a topic about it. So, I'm actually going back to Boston in three weeks to continue my ballet training, but London is great!