If you could talk about certain positions (e.g. arabesque) going into depth about what the muscles and bones should be doing, that would be very helpful :)
OMG exactly!! I thought there must be some minor detail that I'm just not getting! I'm 41 and getting back to ballet and it is so discouraging that my turnout sucks now as much as it did when I was 18. But man this shifting the weight forward will make this an enjoyable hobby!
Thank you so much for this video. I'm an adult student returning to ballet after fifteen years, but even as a young dancer I struggled with my turnout. Like you mentioned, I have relied on my thigh muscles alone for turnout which really wears a person out. I practiced doing clam shells to locate those inner muscles under the glutes. My rear is sore but I can definitely feel the difference when standing in first position and engaging the deep muscles. My turnout is still not great- it will take time, of course- but it's so much less work than gripping the thigh muscles to achieve rotation.Thanks again.
As an adult beginner, this is extremely helpful for me. I've only had one class so far, but my teacher doesn't seem to give these crucial aspects the right importance, and I lacked an in-depth explanation. Thank you so much!
Hi Alice! I think that learning to isolate and strengthen specific muscles is very good for dancers and non-dancers alike. I recall after taking a semester of "modern dance" our instructor was very keen on doing muscle isolation exercises. I'd never heard of that before but it was very helpful, especially for balance and moving in different directions with ease. But I so regret not taking ballet as a child. :( Thank you, K!
Thank you so-so-so much, this will help me a lot in explaining turnout to my own students (I'm an irish dance teacher, but turnout is still important for our dancing too)
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! 😀 I love the way you talk about how you should feel, energetically. Off to class shortly, I know I revert to the "wrong" muscle groups when I tire, especially my quads and glutes!! I know this will stick. 😊 X
Your videos are so helpful, and they talk about you but also what to work and how to improve. Keep making videos, and I will definitely keep on watching!
Love your videos! I was wondering if you would do one on like ballerina must haves or you favorite things you use for dance. Thx, great video! (I love your hair😉)
Thank you so much! I love having short hair :) It helps me to feel more like a normal person when I leave the studio haha! That is an excellent idea for a video! I will try to work on that soon.
I absolutely love your videos and find you inspiring and enthusiastic about what you do. I loved this video and found that it was like a fun biology ballet lesson. Turnout is something I struggle with and this taught me a lot! Thank you and can't wait to see the more videos you make! Also you are a beautiful dancer xx
Awesome video! I love that you really went into the anatomy of it all. I'm a dance anatomy nerd and it sounds like you are too ;) I'm glad you mentioned tucking the tailbone at the end because that can cause a whole host of issues as well. I used to tuck to flatten my back and then push my hips forward and turnout instead of using my rotators. It has caused a huge ricochet effect that I'm now trying to correct. Even though I know what I'm supposed to do my body doesn't want to do it! And just saying "engage your glutes" isn't enough because you can incorrectly use them to tuck under. I think the key is neutral pelvis as you mentioned and really learning how to use your deep six rotators. I'd love to see more videos like this! Maybe one about neck alignment or proper use of feet muscles when training for pointe. Thanks!
+Larissa Swayze I totally relate, because I did the same thing! Thank you so much for your comment! I will try to do another video like this in the future!
Hi Kirsten. Just stumbled upon your channel. I love your videos! Congratulations! So much valuable information and very in depth. Very inspiring - for a musician too. Thank you! Keep up the good work. Best wishes from Copenhagen, Soren.
This helps tremendously, thank you! I like that you provide a variety of thorough explanations so there's multiple ways to picture what I should be doing. I'd love to see more of these kinds of videos. I can't wait to go back to dance class after the holidays and really try this out. If you ever have the time, I'd love a video on the pirouette. I'm personally really struggling with delivering it consistently even after years of training.
this video helped me so much! Just coming back to it, it took me some time to really start to apply the technique. I used to be a pretty bad "tucker" and I was never corrected on that one, even though it made my bottom look hideous ;)
You should make a what's on my dance bag video!! Or maybe a closet tour/ ballet closet tour if you know what i mean!! Orr how many calories you eat each day! Or your workout routinee!
Of course! I try to respond to as many comments as possible when I can. I'm glad you love your long hair because if we all liked the same thing, there would be no individuality! haha
Yes! Weight is on the front 1/3 of the leg (as if you were looking down from the air above your head.). If you watch a toddler, they do this naturally!
Thank you thank you Thank you thank you Thank you thank you Thank you thank you Thank you thank you Thank you thank you Thank you thank you Thank you thank you Thank you thank you Thank you thank you Thank you thank you Thank you thank you very much!
How can one make their turn out better? I am an adult beginner, and have a few goals ( well, you know how it was when you began) to achieve and turning out in first position is hard for me. Are there any exercises that might help? Thank you.
Just push your turn out :) Sit or lie in frog position as often as you can. You need to get to the point when you are conscious about how you activate your muscles and gluts. Turn outs usually happen slowly so don't expect improvement too quickly. It is long process, but it's doable. Our body adjust to our habits. So if you make turning out your new habit your body will be heading into this direction. Go easy on yourself and love your turn out whatever it is - it will get better!
Be careful with the "frog" stretch - this position puts a lot of pressure on the lumbar spine and can overstretch ligaments in the hips, which actually weakens turnout and can lead to injury. Like the first reply said, turnout takes time to develop - the most effective way to improve it is to strengthen your external rotators (clamshells, pilates side kicks, pilates bicycles) and gently stretch them (seated twist).
Hey, I’m a professional dancer now and I started very late in life. The key is making sure you build strength and flexibility at the same time. It’s great to get more flexible, but if your muscles are not weak to control and use the flexibility than it’s useless. Turnout comes from the hips and your butt muscles. If you’re an adult you don’t have the luxury of unfused bones and stretchy ligaments. Don’t push it to much. Be patient and allow it develop slowly 😊 have fun dancing
Hi Kirsten, thanks so much for uploading this. I've been having problems with my turn outs for years and never really got corrective guidance for it. The only advice that I got was to straighten my legs and pull up the kneecaps. As a result I bulked up in the thigh area and now I have a habit of clenching my quads whenever I'm standing on one foot. Since you mentioned that you overcame this habit, would you mind sharing how you did it? Thank you!
Also, you should make a series that is basically like a ballet dictionary explaining ballet terminology. Although I have been dancing for 10 years, beginners may find it helpful when starting ballet.
7 mins into the video, I think I have just managed to turn out my leg using my hip for the first time in my life!!! I was born pigeon toed too. I can actually point my feet inward at a complete 90 degree angle, but I can't turn them out nearly as much :(
So informative. I wonder if you can tell me what I am doing wrong as my lower back aches a lot just in centre exercises to the point I have to bend forward to release it between each exercise. I'm obviously gripping from there but can't work out how to correct is. Thanks so much
Thanks! My guess is that you are probably tilting your pelvis forward and pulling your upper body too far backwards in order to avoid falling forward. This creates an increased curve in your lower back that puts too much pressure on the area. Make sure to use your glutes, upper hamstrings, and abdominals to maintain proper alignment in your spine and pelvis!
TwinTalksBallet thanks, will concentrate on correcting it in my next class. At age 44 going back to dancing has been so enjoyable but never managed to get technically correct turnout even when I was a young dancer. I got back into the splits this week (yey!) after 6 weeks concentrated effort so I know I can do the turn out too.
Thank you! I'm sorry about the confusion! The muscular crease is on the outside of the glut going diagonally from the hip bone (ASIS) towards the sit bone (Ischial Tuberosity). It develops more as you practice rotating from your gluts, and you can probably understand the sensation more easily by practicing clam shells or a similar exercise. I hope that helps!
When I turnout it feels like it's coming from my hips and my side posterior muscles, but when I'm beginning or ending a plie my knee feels almost like it wants to rotate forward or something and I have to fight to keep it in place. Is this normal? Do I just have to build up my muscles more or am I maybe faking my turnout?
Could you please explain how to consciously engage the hamstrings? I have zero conscious control over those muscles. Everything I've read refers to them as voluntary muscles, but I don't understand how. If I were to think about flexing them and then try (as I can with muscles like the quads or biceps), I can't do it. Am I missing something? I just put my hand pressing into them and tried to flex them. I was only able to achieve it by also flexing the inner quads (I think it's the vastus medialis). I can't flex it independently of the inner quads. Even when I feel them flex first, the inner quad flexes also. And this was also sitting with my knee bent. It feels almost impossible to do with a straight leg.
Hi Kira! I would recommend doing slow, concentric and eccentric contractions of your hamstrings (just hamstring curls standing up, knees in parallel) basically until the muscles become fatigued. You can even do this with ankle weights. Right after you have done this, try voluntarily engaging your hamstrings and you will likely have more success. Doing this repeatedly over time will probably allow you to train your hamstrings to engage isometrically. You might be having trouble because you have trained your quads to do more of the work than your hamstrings, but it can be slowly undone!
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! 😀 I love the way you talk about how you should feel, energetically. Off to class shortly, I know I revert to the "wrong" muscle groups when I tire, especially my quads and glutes!! I know this will stick. 😊 X
If you could talk about certain positions (e.g. arabesque) going into depth about what the muscles and bones should be doing, that would be very helpful :)
weight is shifted foward? this is the single most helpful tip! WHY NOBODY EVER TOLD ME THIS? Feels so much easier and less gripping right now
OMG exactly!! I thought there must be some minor detail that I'm just not getting! I'm 41 and getting back to ballet and it is so discouraging that my turnout sucks now as much as it did when I was 18. But man this shifting the weight forward will make this an enjoyable hobby!
Thank you so much for this video. I'm an adult student returning to ballet after fifteen years, but even as a young dancer I struggled with my turnout. Like you mentioned, I have relied on my thigh muscles alone for turnout which really wears a person out. I practiced doing clam shells to locate those inner muscles under the glutes. My rear is sore but I can definitely feel the difference when standing in first position and engaging the deep muscles. My turnout is still not great- it will take time, of course- but it's so much less work than gripping the thigh muscles to achieve rotation.Thanks again.
Such a useful video and so interesting thinking about turnout on such a anatomical level. Thank you! :)
As an adult beginner, this is extremely helpful for me. I've only had one class so far, but my teacher doesn't seem to give these crucial aspects the right importance, and I lacked an in-depth explanation. Thank you so much!
Hi Alice! I think that learning to isolate and strengthen specific muscles is very good for dancers and non-dancers alike. I recall after taking a semester of "modern dance" our instructor was very keen on doing muscle isolation exercises. I'd never heard of that before but it was very helpful, especially for balance and moving in different directions with ease. But I so regret not taking ballet as a child. :( Thank you, K!
Thank you so-so-so much, this will help me a lot in explaining turnout to my own students (I'm an irish dance teacher, but turnout is still important for our dancing too)
how fascinating... i don't dance anymore but i find your videos really interesting and i hope you keep making more :D
I certainly will! Thank you so much for watching!
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! 😀 I love the way you talk about how you should feel, energetically.
Off to class shortly, I know I revert to the "wrong" muscle groups when I tire, especially my quads and glutes!! I know this will stick. 😊 X
Your videos are so helpful, and they talk about you but also what to work and how to improve. Keep making videos, and I will definitely keep on watching!
Love your videos! I was wondering if you would do one on like ballerina must haves or you favorite things you use for dance. Thx, great video! (I love your hair😉)
Caitlin Soelberg Yess!! You should totally do it!!
Thank you so much! I love having short hair :) It helps me to feel more like a normal person when I leave the studio haha! That is an excellent idea for a video! I will try to work on that soon.
I absolutely love your videos and find you inspiring and enthusiastic about what you do. I loved this video and found that it was like a fun biology ballet lesson. Turnout is something I struggle with and this taught me a lot! Thank you and can't wait to see the more videos you make! Also you are a beautiful dancer xx
Awesome video! I love that you really went into the anatomy of it all. I'm a dance anatomy nerd and it sounds like you are too ;) I'm glad you mentioned tucking the tailbone at the end because that can cause a whole host of issues as well. I used to tuck to flatten my back and then push my hips forward and turnout instead of using my rotators. It has caused a huge ricochet effect that I'm now trying to correct. Even though I know what I'm supposed to do my body doesn't want to do it! And just saying "engage your glutes" isn't enough because you can incorrectly use them to tuck under. I think the key is neutral pelvis as you mentioned and really learning how to use your deep six rotators. I'd love to see more videos like this! Maybe one about neck alignment or proper use of feet muscles when training for pointe. Thanks!
+Larissa Swayze I totally relate, because I did the same thing! Thank you so much for your comment! I will try to do another video like this in the future!
Hi Kirsten. Just stumbled upon your channel. I love your videos! Congratulations! So much valuable information and very in depth. Very inspiring - for a musician too. Thank you! Keep up the good work. Best wishes from Copenhagen, Soren.
+Balletmusic DK Thank you so much! I really appreciate your support. Especially as a pianist and fellow lover of music!
Thank you! :) That was something no teacher has ever explained to me.
Super helpful, definitely worth the time. Thanks!
I had to study a lot of anatomy to understand proper turn out. This video is very helpful. Thanks.🙏🏽😉
Yay! I’m so glad the video was helpful to you!
This helps tremendously, thank you! I like that you provide a variety of thorough explanations so there's multiple ways to picture what I should be doing. I'd love to see more of these kinds of videos. I can't wait to go back to dance class after the holidays and really try this out. If you ever have the time, I'd love a video on the pirouette. I'm personally really struggling with delivering it consistently even after years of training.
Please do a what's in my dance bag and get in depth with all the things u bring for pointe
That's a great idea! I will put that on my long to-do list of upcoming videos!
this video helped me so much! Just coming back to it, it took me some time to really start to apply the technique. I used to be a pretty bad "tucker" and I was never corrected on that one, even though it made my bottom look hideous ;)
I have femoral anteversion too! Thank you so much for this video
You should make a what's on my dance bag video!! Or maybe a closet tour/ ballet closet tour if you know what i mean!! Orr how many calories you eat each day! Or your workout routinee!
Such great ideas! Thank you!
Thanks for answering. The hair, now that makes sense, I have like the longest hair, but I love it so much. Thanks for considering my video idea, bye!😉
Of course! I try to respond to as many comments as possible when I can. I'm glad you love your long hair because if we all liked the same thing, there would be no individuality! haha
So true! Thanks for considering everything!❤️
Yes! Weight is on the front 1/3 of the leg (as if you were looking down from the air above your head.). If you watch a toddler, they do this naturally!
Thanx for the education!
Thank you thank you Thank you thank you Thank you thank you
Thank you thank you Thank you thank you Thank you thank you
Thank you thank you Thank you thank you Thank you thank you
Thank you thank you Thank you thank you Thank you thank you very much!
Good information, keep up! Love and light!
How can one make their turn out better? I am an adult beginner, and have a few goals ( well, you know how it was when you began) to achieve and turning out in first position is hard for me. Are there any exercises that might help? Thank you.
Just push your turn out :) Sit or lie in frog position as often as you can. You need to get to the point when you are conscious about how you activate your muscles and gluts. Turn outs usually happen slowly so don't expect improvement too quickly. It is long process, but it's doable. Our body adjust to our habits. So if you make turning out your new habit your body will be heading into this direction. Go easy on yourself and love your turn out whatever it is - it will get better!
Thank you! Merci beaucoup!
Be careful with the "frog" stretch - this position puts a lot of pressure on the lumbar spine and can overstretch ligaments in the hips, which actually weakens turnout and can lead to injury. Like the first reply said, turnout takes time to develop - the most effective way to improve it is to strengthen your external rotators (clamshells, pilates side kicks, pilates bicycles) and gently stretch them (seated twist).
Hey, I’m a professional dancer now and I started very late in life. The key is making sure you build strength and flexibility at the same time. It’s great to get more flexible, but if your muscles are not weak to control and use the flexibility than it’s useless. Turnout comes from the hips and your butt muscles. If you’re an adult you don’t have the luxury of unfused bones and stretchy ligaments. Don’t push it to much. Be patient and allow it develop slowly 😊 have fun dancing
Kamila Reeder I'm interested in how you started late and became a professional!!
This is incredibly helpful thank you!
Thank you, Annie!
Can you do a video on how to improve your arches?
Hi Kirsten, thanks so much for uploading this. I've been having problems with my turn outs for years and never really got corrective guidance for it. The only advice that I got was to straighten my legs and pull up the kneecaps. As a result I bulked up in the thigh area and now I have a habit of clenching my quads whenever I'm standing on one foot. Since you mentioned that you overcame this habit, would you mind sharing how you did it?
Thank you!
thanks so much! This is really helpful!
Could you do a video on turnout exercises? x
Great video!
Great video as always!
Also, you should make a series that is basically like a ballet dictionary explaining ballet terminology. Although I have been dancing for 10 years, beginners may find it helpful when starting ballet.
Love your channel :D
+TwinTalksBalket thanks I am not a dancer so I had no idea just very curious :) have a nice day /night
7 mins into the video, I think I have just managed to turn out my leg using my hip for the first time in my life!!!
I was born pigeon toed too. I can actually point my feet inward at a complete 90 degree angle, but I can't turn them out nearly as much :(
18:37 I did not know this. I did not realize that our glute muscles were so deep.
So informative. I wonder if you can tell me what I am doing wrong as my lower back aches a lot just in centre exercises to the point I have to bend forward to release it between each exercise. I'm obviously gripping from there but can't work out how to correct is. Thanks so much
Thanks! My guess is that you are probably tilting your pelvis forward and pulling your upper body too far backwards in order to avoid falling forward. This creates an increased curve in your lower back that puts too much pressure on the area. Make sure to use your glutes, upper hamstrings, and abdominals to maintain proper alignment in your spine and pelvis!
TwinTalksBallet thanks, will concentrate on correcting it in my next class. At age 44 going back to dancing has been so enjoyable but never managed to get technically correct turnout even when I was a young dancer. I got back into the splits this week (yey!) after 6 weeks concentrated effort so I know I can do the turn out too.
Now I want to take anatomy
Super helpful video!! But; where is the crease in the glutes that you are talking about? On the outside? Or underneath? I’m confused
Thank you! I'm sorry about the confusion! The muscular crease is on the outside of the glut going diagonally from the hip bone (ASIS) towards the sit bone (Ischial Tuberosity). It develops more as you practice rotating from your gluts, and you can probably understand the sensation more easily by practicing clam shells or a similar exercise. I hope that helps!
very informative,thanks!
When I turnout it feels like it's coming from my hips and my side posterior muscles, but when I'm beginning or ending a plie my knee feels almost like it wants to rotate forward or something and I have to fight to keep it in place. Is this normal? Do I just have to build up my muscles more or am I maybe faking my turnout?
Could you please explain how to consciously engage the hamstrings? I have zero conscious control over those muscles. Everything I've read refers to them as voluntary muscles, but I don't understand how. If I were to think about flexing them and then try (as I can with muscles like the quads or biceps), I can't do it. Am I missing something?
I just put my hand pressing into them and tried to flex them. I was only able to achieve it by also flexing the inner quads (I think it's the vastus medialis). I can't flex it independently of the inner quads. Even when I feel them flex first, the inner quad flexes also. And this was also sitting with my knee bent. It feels almost impossible to do with a straight leg.
Hi Kira! I would recommend doing slow, concentric and eccentric contractions of your hamstrings (just hamstring curls standing up, knees in parallel) basically until the muscles become fatigued. You can even do this with ankle weights. Right after you have done this, try voluntarily engaging your hamstrings and you will likely have more success. Doing this repeatedly over time will probably allow you to train your hamstrings to engage isometrically. You might be having trouble because you have trained your quads to do more of the work than your hamstrings, but it can be slowly undone!
Omg I am pigeon toed to and my ankles are so tight. I am scared about my being pigeon toed and trying to do ballet
What is gripping?
Basically turnout, which is critical, is all in the glutes.
What does pigeon toed mean ?
It's when someone's toes point towards each other when they walk because their legs are inwardly rotated.
My teacher just expected us to know... so here i am
I think most teachers are afraid to say butt!
You only used female images. I feel excluded and offended.
Now I'm even more confused. Glad I don't dance.
WAY too long. Please cut out the unnecessary parts. this is why you don't get that many views...
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! 😀 I love the way you talk about how you should feel, energetically.
Off to class shortly, I know I revert to the "wrong" muscle groups when I tire, especially my quads and glutes!! I know this will stick. 😊 X