Trouble with Turning

I’m back at it! I’ve completed my second class in two weeks with the Cincinnati Ballet. They say that if you keep up with an activity for three months it becomes a habit. I’m hoping ballet becomes a habit again.

In the meantime, I discovered some bad habits I have with turns. I’ve been pirouetting for years. I have good turning days and bad turning days and the reason “why” has always eluded me. It’s still a mystery why some days are better than others, but today I realized why the bad days are so bad.

1. I sit with my weight on the back leg prior to en dehors turns.
2. When turning to the left (en dehors) my right leg turns in just as soon as I pop onto releve. (It also does so to some degree on the other side, but not nearly as badly.)

As I said, I’ve been pirouetting for years, and these bad habits are firmly ingrained. Thankfully, the good habits (arm positioning, leg at passé, spotting) are set well enough that I can concentrate on the bad and correct them without spinning out of control and falling onto my neighbor. Knowing is half the battle!

From now on, when turning en dehors, I will concentrate on putting the weight on the front leg and maintaining turnout. I have a feeling that correcting these habits will end most of the trouble I’ve had with turns and increase my confidence in spinning.