A pirouette is a standard ballet step, where a dancer turns on one leg and the other leg is bent at an angle against the supporting knee. The idea is to complete a full turn in this position, but students usually practice double pirouettes, or two spins before coming out of the pose, and these days, it is not rare to see professional dancers spinning multiples of three to seven turns.
You'll see the spins in any classical ballet performance onstage – in Swan Lake, in The Nutcracker, in Giselle, and variations of it, as well, but you'll also see the pirouette in other non-ballet dances. The pirouette has also given birth to similar-looking spins of neo-classical, modern and other contemporary styles.
It takes years of preparation and training to complete a full pirouette, with many exercises focusing on the fundamentals before you actually get to turn. However, once you understand the basic pirouette techniques, multiple turns can be perfected in practice.
Control Your Singles
Although a double pirouette, or more, will be very impressive, it is often said that a single pirouette is harder to execute than multiples, which may be aided by momentum. Meanwhile, a single pirouette requires a certain sustained quality while you turn, and a great deal of control.
To control your single turns, keep practicing them. Just because your teacher has decided to promote your pirouettes to doubles doesn't mean that you can practice them on your own after the class. Once you learn to control your singles, you will have a better control over any other number or kind of pirouette, as you learn to also control your balance and pull up as well.
Find and Keep Your Center
Following simple physics, your body is spinning on a center, from the top of your head to the tips of your toes in contact with the floor. Keeping yourself tight will ensure tighter turns, whereas if any of your extremities is out of place, or your body is not as straight as it should be, the momentum will scatter outward and you won't turn at all.
Tighter turns are achieved by finding your center. Many teachers will tell you to pull up (basically lengthening the spine, holding down your tailbone and sucking in your gut) during your pirouette, but it makes more sense for you to pull up the upper half of your body while pushing down against the floor, almost as if drilling a hole into the wooden slabs. A counter pull is achieved, especially if the countering directions run along the same line.
Accordingly, you should also align your hips and your shoulders by keeping them square with each other, minimizing any protruding areas that stick out and prevent you from turning. The knee of your working leg should be turned out and in alignment with your hips. The turn out of your knee helps to push your turn.
Fix Your Spot
Speaking of centering, fixing a spot for your eyes to focus on as you spin is also very important. Finding a spot on the wall in front of you and fixating on it as you spin around will lessen your chances of getting dizzy with each turn, as well as keep your balance on focus. Spotting will also make your spins quicker, allowing you to do more than one spin.
Following these simple pirouette tips and techniques, you may find yourself doing clean doubles and even impressive triples very soon.
Joelle Jacinto - I once applied for a job and the boss interviewing me asked, "So when did you start writing?" I fumbled with my reply, really ...
