Improving pirouettes???

[homer4263]

I always overcross my foot in retire in my pirouettes and my teachers say i use too much foce. Any advice????

[Mel Johnson]

Those are actually two separate issues, but one has something to do with the other. If you rush into the pirouette, you won't have time to place your foot properly in retiré. Ease up! You don't have to kill the pirouette, it's just a relevé that turns. Once, good, is plenty to start with.

[Victoria Leigh]

Also, if you don't get your retiré leg to the position immediately, like if it comes up too slowly, you will be already turning by the time it gets there and that makes it overcross.

[ccdancer4life]

A similar question:

 

My teacher always says that I anticapate my landing. I try not to start coming down until I finish the turn, but I am still doing them wrong. I almost always stumble and fall when I am on pointe. Even in flats I sometimes mess up. What do you think?

[Victoria Leigh]

I think you are not thinking of continuing the upward spiral at the end of the turn. You are thinking of the landing. The turn must finish still going up, in order to control the landing. Therefore, your teacher is right, you are anticipating the landing and starting to come down, instead of continuing up.

[DanaD]

i am trying sooo hard to get past a triple.

Any tips?

[dwcgirl]

Sorry to keep adding questions to this, but my teachers keep telling me to put more "spice" in my turns because I look lethargic and floaty, even if I have a pretty good spot. I try to be more aggressive with my turns and get to the position, but it still isn't helping.

 

Anything else I can do to achieve a "less lazy" looking pirouette?

[Mel Johnson]

It's hard to know what your teachers are driving at. "Spice" is not a classical quality, but a metaphor. It's hard to implement a correction framed that way if it doesn't speak to you immediately.

 

Dana, if you want to do more than a triple, then do your triple, and don't stop. Chances are very good that you're flinching as you start to go into the next turn, and lose it there. Don't be afraid of it, just keep going!

[DanaD]

thank you.

I will try that tonight.

[abtIs4Me]

In Dnace Magezine there was an article on improving pirouttes. Here are some tips it provided...

 

 

1) Think of picking up your foot, not your leg, when going to passe (keeps your hip down).

 

2) Never rest your toe on your knee! Keep moving your thigh open and back to the ecarte position so it's actively turning out. HINT: use your gluteous minimus! ( funny word, important to turn out!)

 

3) Never hold your breath!

 

4) To have a successful pirouette, you need an organized torso!

 

5) Think of creating a straight line with your lower body a torso on your supporting side!

 

6) Keep practicing those balances! The more you practice them, the easier it is to know where your body needs to be i a piroutte. It helps with muscle memory!

 

Hope this helps with every problem you face with pirouttes! Good luck!

[DanaD]

I'd just like to say that I used these techniques and I did a quad today on the left!

thank you!!!