2 3 Fun Friday Spin | Ballet Webb

Friday, July 20, 2018

Fun Friday Spin



Fun Friday Spin

I talk a lot about physics and how a little knowledge in this area can be very helpful. A case in point is today’s prop demonstration. Helping students add an extra turn (or more), is a constant goal in a dance class. Today I’ll talk about double piqué turns, but the concept works for other turns as well.

For double piqué turns, the secret is to increase the speed and tighten up the diameter. As I’ve said before, a double turn is not simply two singles. There is a different, quicker rhythm involved. To illustrate this, take a necklace with a small pendant on it and undo the clasp so you have one long piece. Now spin the necklace slowly, with one end in each hand, so it is moving in large circles. This is like a single turn. But then pull the chain outward (moving your hands away from each other) and observe what happens. The diameter of the spinning circle gets smaller – and – here’s the cool part: the pendant now moves faster.

The concept is this: decreasing the diameter of the turn increases the speed. Therefore, even if you don’t change the amount of force but simply make the diameter of your turn smaller (tighter), your turn will spin faster and you’ll be able to achieve more revolutions. Greater results for the same effort! How cool is that?


From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Secret #20u:
“Spin a necklace to show how to increase turns.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“When you conclude a paper, you should always close a door and open a window”
― Benjamin K. Bergen

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