At the Linda Jamieson School of Dance, preprofessional and recreational students receive a thorough grounding in classical ballet technique. The Linda Jamieson School of Dance combines the Royal Academy of Dance curriculum with the Cecchetti Syllabus and Dance Arts Canada-informed training to help students perfect such skills as the pirouette.

1. IMPROVING
TECHNIQUE OF THE
PIROUETTE
Linda Jamieson School of Dance

2. INTRODUCTION
• At the Linda Jamieson School of Dance, preprofessional and recreational students receive
a thorough grounding in classical ballet technique. The Linda Jamieson School of Dance
combines the Royal Academy of Dance curriculum with the Cecchetti Syllabus and Dance
Arts Canada-informed training to help students perfect such skills as the pirouette.
A pirouette, the act of spinning on one foot, requires strength, stability, and control. The
first thing a student needs to do to improve on pirouettes is to strengthen his or her core
with exercises such as crunches, planks, and single-leg balances. This provides a strong
base that is necessary for a free-flowing turn.
The dancer must also build strength in the legs, ankles, and feet. Ankle flexion exercises
can help to strengthen the muscles that keep the feet from sickling or pronating, while
lunges and similar upper leg exercises provide the power to get around.
These exercises help to build the strength necessary for a stable pirouette, but proper
body positioning is equally important. Each turn should start with both knees in plie and
the back leg elongated. The ribs should be over the pelvis and the weight should be over
the balls of the feet.

3. PIROUETTE
• The turn itself begins with the feet pushing into the floor as
the upper body rises toward the ceiling. The push should
only be strong enough to achieve the desired number of
turns, as too much force will throw off the dancer's balance.
The toe comes up to meet the standing knee, and the body
begins to rotate as soon as the standing foot goes to releve.
The dancer should spot the eyes to a steady point with a
precise turn of the head. Spotting must be stable until the
turn finishes, which should happen with control and calm as
the dancer arrives in place with intention.