Many Pirouettes Please
Pirouettes, as many as
possible, please. This is the
philosophy of most dancers, and it is true - for the most part. But most teachers are well aware that many
students work first for the number of
turns, instead of focusing on the correct positioning and best preparation for
the turns. Doing multiple pirouettes in
a poor or unattractive position means nothing and fosters habits that are
difficult to change (Motivational Secret #2a: “Practice make permanent.”).
In classical ballet the retiré position has to be well understood
first, then a correct preparation must be established (Secret #2b: “A plié is a
movement, not a position.”). For
standard pirouettes a correct fourth position is critical. For maximum benefit, the fourth position plié should
provide two main things: enough “push”
or torque to facilitate the number of revolutions; and an effective preparation
to allow an efficient transfer of weight from two feet to one.
The Big Blue Book of
Secrets says: “The wider the fourth,
the greater the force” – and this is important.
The dancer must use the widest fourth position they can control, in order to use the laws of physics to their
advantage, and to help overcome the friction created by ballet slippers against
the floor (less friction is created by the smaller surface area of a pointe
shoe). There are many other secrets to multiple
pirouettes, which I will discuss in future posts.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Secret #10a:
“The wider the fourth,
the greater the force.”
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