A la seconde and attitude turns

[ballet24/7]

I was wondering if I could get some tips on a la seconde and attitude turns, both en de dens (spelling?) and en pointe. What are some key things to remember?

[Victoria Leigh]

Did you mean both en dedans and en dehors? And on pointe? In any case, open position turns are more difficult because they do not go around as quickly and it is hard to maintain the momentum and the spot, or at least a focus in terms of where you are going.

 

When turning en dedans in à la seconde the body must be going one direction but the leg must be held back, in order to keep it in second and not traveling to the front. The closer to 90º you can get in any open position turn, the better, as it creates a better center. En dehors turns in second require more work from the back muscles of the side coming around.

 

For attitude pirouettes en dedans, with the leg in attitude derrière, again the body is turning in one direction but the leg must hold to the back. You have to work hard with the back muscles on the side coming around, and it helps to turn the head in the direction you are turning, in order to focus on where you are finishing the turn.

 

En dehors attitude turns are easier in a fouetté action than they are from a 4th position, which really takes a lot of push into the front leg and a lot of power from the back. With the fouetté action, like coming from a double pirouette en dehors, you have the power of the whipping action to keep it going. The back leg must pull around behind you, but you must maintain your body position over the standing leg and not allow your weight to move back at all.

[dance4life56]

For me, I find the most importan thing to concentrate on is holding your back. This helps me get around stabily even if the leg is lower, and then over time, the leg will go higher.

[les_sylphides_]

wow thanks ms. Leigh!