Teaching Turnout
There are many schools of thought on turnout in ballet. At Once Upon A Ballet, we recommend the degree of turnout progresses according to each student’s ability and age. Regardless of what school you follow, students should turn out from the hips, with their knees remaining over their toes--particularly in plié. They should be able to stand somewhat comfortably. If their degree of turnout is causing them to lose their balance while on flat, they are probably forcing their turnout and not engaging proper muscles.
Here are some tips for teaching turnout to students in your ballet classes:
When in parallel, students’ feet and legs, including the knees and ankles, should be together. Ask your students to make sure their knees and ankles are “kissing” in order to make sure they are keeping their legs and feet together.
Very young children will sometimes focus too much on turning out, making it even more difficult. Before having them stand in 1st position, have them begin in parallel with the legs and feet together. Then have them “open their storybooks” (to 1st position) and “close their storybooks” (to parallel). Many will have fun opening and closing their storybooks and forget about the mechanics of turning out.
Especially for ages 5 and up, have students think of their legs as peppermint sticks. Their legs wrap around and turn out, spiraling around like the stripes on a peppermint stick. You can even bring peppermint sticks to class to give students a clear image. (Peppermint sticks are a great image too for keeping the legs straight while turning out.)
Other props that reinforce the idea of energy spiraling around and up the leg (and also down toward the floor to remain grounded) include a slinky and a spinning top. There are also quite a few spiral baby activity toys. These are typically meant to go on car seats and crib rails, but their bright colors can be fun and inviting to younger children when talking about turnout.
Happy Dancing!
Ashley Hartford
Founder + Owner, Once Upon a Ballet
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