Step-Over Pirouette Dos and Don'ts

DO
keep your body straight up and down. “Many dancers tend to pull their hips back and tip their bodies forward in step-overs, but that makes it difficult to get around,” says Nanako Yamamoto of American Repertory Ballet.

DON’T
leave both feet on the floor at the same time. “A well-executed lame duck goes from one foot to the other, like a saut de basque,” says Nadia Thompson, co-director and ballet master of Ballet Hagen in Germany.

DO
pull your right shoulder back, if you’re turning to the right, and vice versa. “Everyone says to bring your left side around, but sometimes thinking of the other side instead can unlock the pirouette,” Thompson says.

DON’T
lift your hip as you step into the turn. “When you lift your passé, your hip shouldn’t come up with it,” says Tulsa Ballet’s Madalina Stoica.

DO
think of moving your whole body as a single piece. “Remember to keep a good, strong shape throughout your body as you turn,” says Thompson.

For more tips and tricks on step-over turns,
click here.

A version of this story appeared in the December 2018 issue of
Dance Spirit with the title “Lame Duck Do’s and Don’ts.”