Do a Right Leg Double Pirouette
You can be an accomplished ballet dancer! All it takes is perseverance and determination.
Contents
Steps
- Start in fifth position--your right heel to your left toe, your right toe to your left heel, both feet on the ground (as close as you can get your right toe to your left heel), and your right foot in front. (This can give you less power so you may want to try starting in first if you're a beginner.) Both arms should be rounded in front of you across from your sternum.
- Right tendu (move your right foot to the right-toe first, extending it all the way without taking it off the ground-but keep a pointed toe). Keep a turned foot (make sure your heel is turned out in front of you) while moving the arm right (in the same position) until your hand is a bit in front of the right side of your shoulder.
- Tendu back to step one heel first and bring your arms with you. You can also tendu to fourth which is right leg back (on right pirouette) and left leg forward, but for left pirouette put your right leg in front.
- Do a plié (bend your knees) and coil to push off. Coiling is an inside push of energy, it should not be seen by people looking at your pirouette. After you push off, bring your right leg up into a passé. Your right foot should be next to your left knee and you should be up on your toes. You will spin clockwise. When you spin, your arms should be held in the same position as step 1. Make sure you spot, look at one object and bring your head continuously back to it as you go around, to keep from getting dizzy.
- After you spin (once for a single, twice for a double), lower on your support left leg and bring your right leg down to it simultaneously. You should land in step 1.
- This step can be reversed by starting in a left fifth position (left foot in front of your right).
Tips
- While turning you leg should be at or above the knee. The higher your leg the longer you will be able too turn.
- While turning your should plant all of your weight on your supporting leg and not lean or bend over.
- Pull up from your hips and elongate everything from your waist to your neck and head.
- Tighten your core.
- Before you turn, make sure your weight is on equally distributed between your front and back legs. The most successful turns occur when your body is properly aligned--envision your body as a tower of building blocks and the result if one block were too far out of line.
- If you do not spot, you will not complete your turn properly.
- Your arms should not be stiff- your elbows should be bent slightly.
- This is for a dancer only. Non-dancers can injure themselves. It takes the proper knowledge of where your body should be placed in space to do a correct pirouette (and lots of practice, too!).
- Spotting and landing on the right foot complete the turn, but the arms can make or brake a turn.
- Wear proper shoes and find a proper floor to practice on (the harder the better).
- It will not turn all the way around unless you coil!
Warnings
- This step requires balance. If you do not have good balance, practice the step at a barre first. If you don't have a barre, a wall or kitchen counter will work.
- This step takes years of perfection. Dancers should take at least a year of ballet or jazz classes to do these. You can hurt yourself.
