Uneven turnout ballet

Ballet turnout muscles
Turnout ballet definition
Ballet turnout exercises

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The following is an adaptation of a section from “The Carriage of the Body and Positions of the Feet,” chapter 3 of the work in progress The Technique of Eighteenth-Century Ballet (© Edmund Fairfax 2018). Some aspects are discussed in detail in other sections or chapters, and the reader would simply consult those sections in a completed work, but these are not available here.

3.4.1 Turnout

One of the most basic features of eighteenth-century ballet technique and a defining element of the so-called true positions of the feet was the turnout of the legs, that is, the outward rotation of the ball of the thigh bone in the hip socket such that the knees and toes come to be directed toward the sides rather than the fore of the body, a practice that is no less fundamental today in classical ballet than it was more than three hundred years ago. As Noverre puts it (1760: 315, 319), “nothing is more needful in order to dance well, Monsieur, than the turnout of the thigh,” for “a dancer who is turned in is a clumsy and disagreeable dancer; the contrary position

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The Truth About Turnout

Turnout—a combination of rotational flexibility and the strength to properly hold that rotation—is the foundation of ballet. But it’s also a source of frustration for many dancers. After all, not everyone (actually, hardly anyone) is born with 180-degree rotation. “When I first started dancing, my hip flexors were strong, but I was forcing my turnout without using the right muscles,” remembers Amanda Cobb, a former dancer with The Washington Ballet.

The good news is that it’s possible to both improve your turnout and to dance beautifully with less-than-perfect rotation. But there’s a lot of misinformation out there about how turnout works and why it’s important. To help separate fact from fiction, DS asked the experts to disprove six turnout myths.

Myth #1

If your feet are turned out 180 degrees, that means you’re using your turnout.

“Turning out requires rotating your legs from the inside of the hip all the way through to your feet,” says Nancy Bielski, who teaches at Steps on Broadway in NYC.

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Turnout 101: Where Does It Come From, And How Can You Get More?

Turnout is one of the defining characteristics of classical ballet and the foundation of your technique, but the deceptively simple concept of external rotation can be hard to execute. For those born with hip joints that don’t naturally make a tight fifth position, it’s tempting to take shortcuts in the quest for more rotation, but you’ll end up with weaker technique and a higher risk of injury. We asked top teachers and physical therapists to break down the meaning of turnout and offer safe ways to maximize your range.

Why Is It Important to Classical Ballet?

“Turnout really is an expression of what classical art is,” says Xiomara Reyes, head of The Washington School of Ballet. “It’s a physical representation of giving, opening, outreaching to the audience. And even if you don’t have 180-degree turnout, you need to focus on it: All movements are from the inside out, not just the legs but the whole body.” Otherwise, she says, you’ll lose the clarity of yo