Ballet Turns: How to Do 11 Ballet Turns

Ballet turns are complete rotations or half-turn rotations of your body while performing ballet. You can perform a ballet turn in the air after a jump, on one supporting leg while your extended leg is raised, or supported by both legs.

Some ballet turns, like the pirouette, are so famous they’ve become part of popular culture. But there’s more than one way to turn around in ballet. These are the most important ballet turns to know:

1. 1. Attitude turn: Perform this challenging turn by lifting and bending your working leg to a 145-degree angle while rotating on your supporting leg.
2. 2. Chaînés: Named after the French word for “chains” or “links,” chaînés is a quick series of two-step turns en pointe (on tiptoe in pointe shoes) or demi-pointe (on the ball of the foot), which you’d perform traveling in a line or circular pattern. You can execute them en dehors (outward) or en dedans (inward).
3. 3. Fouetté: Perform fouetté turns by standing in plié (knee bent) while your raised leg whips around either in front or behind your supporting leg. Extend your working leg, then pul it into retiré (leg bent with your foot pointed to the front, back, or side of the knee of your supporting leg) or passé (leg passing through the retiré position). While extending the working leg, shift the supporting foot into relevé (heel raised) or en pointe.
4. 4. Fouetté en tournant (Russian fouetté): This is the Russian fouetté turn variation. Extend the working leg directly to second position, and whip the foot to the back of the supporting knee, then quickly change it to the front while turning en dehor (outward). Learn more about ballet positions.
5. 5. Fouetté rond de jambe en tournant (Cecchetti fouetté): In this version of the fouetté, you throw the right leg into second position, while the supporting leg relevés into en pointe, then the working foot passes from behind to the front of the supporting leg.
6. 6. Grand fouetté en tournant (Italian fouetté): In the Italian fouetté, you start in arabesque (body supported on one leg, working leg extended behind you), into retiré devant (working leg in front of supporting knee). The working leg extends in front into demi-plié. As you complete the relevé, whip the extended leg into second position, then into retiré devant while turning en dehor (outwards). Swinging the back leg to the front, move your arms from first position to fifth position.
7. 7. Piqué turn: Also known as piqué tour, this is a pirouette where the dancer steps onto pointe or demi-pointe and raises the other leg in any position.
8. 8. Pirouette: A pirouette is a complete turn of the body on one foot, either turning inward (pirouette en dedans) or outward (pirouette en dehors), with the body centered over the supporting leg. The arms propel the turn but remain stationary during the turn, and the eyes “spot” a fixed point while the head quickly turns.
9. 9. Pirouette à la seconde: Also known as a grande pirouette, male ballet dancers often perform this turn. It’s a more expansive version of a basic pirouette, in which you raise your working leg straight out at a 90-degree angle. You begin in fifth position, continue with a grand battement (working leg raised and brought down again), legs lowering into a demi-plié to create swift momentum.
10. 10. Tour en l’air: This is a single, double, or triple turn performed while in the air straight up from a demi-plié, landing in fifth position.
11. 11. Tour de promenade: This is a turn you perform while walking. During a pas de deux (a dance for two people, usually a ballerina and a male dancer), hold your position en pointe. At the same time, your partner walks around you holding your hand, turning your body slowly (in adagio).

If you have a previous or preexisting health condition, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program. Proper exercise technique is essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of an exercise program. Still, you may need to modify each exercise to attain optimal results based on your individual needs. Always select a weight that gives you full control of your body throughout the movement. When performing any exercise, pay close attention to your body, and stop immediately if you note pain or discomfort.

To see continual progress and build body strength, incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program. Your results will ultimately be based on your ability to recover from your workouts adequately. Rest for twenty-four to forty-eight hours before training the same muscle groups to allow sufficient recovery.

Practice ballet with Misty Copeland, the principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. Get the MasterClass Annual Membership and learn how to put individual barre techniques together to create powerful performances and introduce artistry to your choreography.