Tips for Improving Turnout

Turnout is an important part of dance technique in many styles of dance, especially in Ballet, Lyrical, Jazz and Contemporary. Most dancers have heard their teachers say “use your turnout more” but may not know why we should be thinking about it.

Having a wide range of turnout is the magic that helps to make our kicks and leaps in second position look more pleasing and effortless to the eye. This is because the hip, knee and ankle joints are correctly aligned. This not only looks better to the eye, but also ensures safer and smoother landings, and allows more fluid sideways movement.

Turnout should never be forced, you should never force your feet to turn out more than your natural ability. Instead, to improve our turnout, we should be working to improve flexibility and strength in our hip flexors and glutes. 

Try:

• Starting in first position, try pointing your foot forward in a tendu and focusing on pointing the inside of your heel to the roof. Then rotate your ankle down so that your knee is pointing to the roof. Repeat 10 times and repeat on the other leg.
• Glute and hip stretch – put right leg at a right angle in front and stretch left leg straight behind, keeping shoulders square. Repeat on the other side.
• Butterfly stretch. Sitting down, place feet together and bend knees to make a diamond. Let gravity pull the knees down.