Turnout Control

[Guest *ShiningStar*]

My teacher says that I have absolutely brilliant facility for turnout, but I just can't control it. Does anyone have any tips that will strengthen the muscles that will hold my legs in place? It's driving me around the bend!

[Mel Johnson]

Strength to maintain the rotation of the legs in the hipjoint is gained by doing. Make sure that you rotate the legs from the hip, and do so consistently throughout all your work, and in almost all cases that will assure turnout. There's really nothing for it but to do it!

[Victoria Leigh]

It also requires a lot of doing it, meaning, a lot of training. I notice that you only dance 3 days a week, and only one of those days is ballet, while the other two are only 75 and 90 minute classes consisting of jazz or tap combined with ballet.

[Guest *ShiningStar*]

Great stuff! I am already working phenomenally hard on this aspect of my dancing! No wonder the muscles just below my pelvis are getting sore (in the way that you know you've worked, of course!). Thank-you so much for this!

 

And by the way, our school is classically based, so most of our lesson is dedicated to ballet, with about 1/2 an hour of tap or jazz at the end (also, I have already done an exam this year for Intermediate Foundation, so the pressure is not as hard to learn and correct (we still work very hard, but you get what I mean) every exercise right now.