Tag: turning

Troubleshooting Tap Turns: Tips for Pirouettes in Tap Shoes

You know that pirouette dream, when your placement is so perfect you can keep turning forever? That dream is the reality for highly technical tappers, who benefit from the decreased friction of their shoes. Get the placement right and, with a strong spot, they can pirouette for days. But turning in tap shoes isn’t all […]

Dear Katie: I Can't Turn!

In our “Dear Katie” series, former NYCB soloist Kathryn Morgan answers your pressing dance questions. Have something you want to ask Katie? Email [email protected] for a chance to be featured! Dear Katie, I can’t turn, and it’s awful. No matter how many tips and tricks I try, I can barely pull off double pirouettes. What’s […]

Dear Katie: I'm a One-Sided Turner!

In our “Dear Katie” series, former NYCB soloist Kathryn Morgan answers your pressing dance questions. Have something you want to ask Katie? Email [email protected] for a chance to be featured! Dear Katie, I’m a one-sided turner, and it’s becoming a serious problem. I can do quadruple turns to the right, but can barely manage a […]

Dance Spirit Contest: Show Us Your Best Turns!

This contest has ended. It’s time to get your pirouette on! From September 5th to September 30th, we’re hosting a contest to find out who’s the best turner of them all. Put together your most impressive turning combo. Post a video online. Share your turns with us and thousands of other dancers around the world. […]

Just Keep Spinning…

If you’re anything like me, you dread the thirty-two fouetté turns (or worse, the turns from fifth) that ballet teachers just love to throw in after grande allegro. I’m just not a turner…never have been, probably never will be. But last Friday, researchers at Imperial College London made an announcement that made me want to […]

Pirouette Troubleshooting

Christine Winkler mid-pirouette in Darrell Grand Moultrie’s Boiling Point (by C. McCullers) Ah, pirouettes. They’re delicate little operations. Nothing beats the rush of finishing a set of solid multiples, but even the smallest mistake can keep you from nailing that triple. With many variables to think about—placement! timing! spotting!—it’s easy to feel frustrated when you’re […]