What Is the Ballet Term for Turn?

Ballet

The Ballet term for turn is Pirouette. A pirouette is a complete turn made on one leg and is perhaps the most iconic movement in ballet. It is a difficult move to master, but when done correctly, it can be a magical moment in performance.

The word “pirouette” comes from the French, meaning “to whirl about”. A dancer must have excellent balance to perform a successful pirouette, as well as control over their body and strength to be able to spot (focus the head in one direction). Pirouettes can be performed on one leg, or on both legs with the help of momentum.

When performing a pirouette, the dancer will start with their feet together and then take a step out onto one foot while keeping the other leg straight.

They will then draw their arms up into fifth position (arms open wide with palms facing up) and begin turning. The dancer must use their core muscles to keep their body stable as they turn, while also using their arms as counterbalance to help them stay balanced.

As they rotate around they will use their feet to push off of the floor so they can gain momentum and speed up the rotation until they come back to first position (feet together). Depending on the speed of rotation and how many turns are performed, this could range from a single turn (a “single” or “simple” pirouette) or multiple turns (a “double”, “triple”, etc. ).

Conclusion:

The Ballet term for turn is Pirouette. It takes skill, balance and control to perform this dance move successfully. The dancer uses momentum created by pushing off of the floor with their feet while using arms as counterbalance in order to rotate around until coming back into first position.