Active Muscles in Pirouettes

Active Muscles in Pirouettes

As with any sport, dance has a variety of technical elements that require dancers to use certain muscles. One of the technical elements in dance is a pirouette. A pirouette is a universal dance skill that originated in ballet, and has since been used for other dance styles such as modern, jazz, and tap. A pirouette is a 360 degree turn that is completed on one leg, and although it may look simple, there are six key muscles that must be engaged in order to successfully complete a pirouette.

           The first two muscles that should be engaged in a pirouette are a dancer’s ankles and calves. Since a pirouette is executed on one leg, it is crucial for a dancer to have strong ankles and calves to support their body weight.  Strong ankles and calves help increase the stability of a pirouette tremendously.  Strengthening the calf muscles can be done by doing plié exercises in first or second position with a bend at the knees.  Relevé exercises (performed by rising to the ball of the foot) can be executed to improve flexibility of the ankle muscles creating a stable pirouette.

            The third muscle group that is active during a pirouette is found on the upper front part of both legs known as the quadriceps or quads for short.  When dancers engage their quads they are also engaging their inner thighs.  It is important that dancers do not tighten this muscle, but rather elongate these muscles when dancing.  Exercises such as grande pliés, and arabesques train dancers to elongate these muscles to create more flexibility. This gives their standing leg the support it needs to complete a pirouette.

            The hamstrings are the fourth muscle that are important during a pirouette and are located on the upper back side of both legs above the knee.  The hamstrings work with the knees to create a dancer’s lines. Like the quadriceps, it is important to lengthen and elongate these muscles in order to create a more seamless pirouette.  Warming up the hamstrings along with the rest of a dancer’s muscles is very crucial.  Simple stretches such as bending forward touching the nose to knees can easily target those hamstrings and prepare them for a pirouette.

            The final two muscles that are needed for a pirouette are the hips and knees, and these are essential to executing a proper pirouette.  Having strong hips and knees can ensure that a dancer has enough strength and power to complete a full 360 degree pirouette. Creating flexibility and strength in both of these areas, especially the hips, assists dancers to stay upright and lifted during a pirouette.

            Proper exercises, stretches, and body awareness can assist in making sure a dancer can properly execute a pirouette.  Completing a pirouette involves a lot of muscles and anatomy, but once a dancer can engage all of their muscles and make them all work as one, this 360 degree turn on one leg can be completed and successfully executed. 

The authors

Taylor Amerson was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada.  She graduated from The University Of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in May of 2015 with a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Communications.  While attending UNLV, Taylor was on the dance team known as the Rebel Girls for four years.  In 2013 she was ranked a National Champion in the UDA Hip Hop Division 1A category and ranked third place in the UDA Pom Division IA category.  From then on, UNLV has been one of the top 3 schools in both Division IA Hip Hop and Pom.  Along with dancing on a college team, Taylor also became an instructor for UDA in 2013.  Over the past three summers she has taught many camps at the high school and collegiate level teaching different styles such as Pom, Jazz, and Hip Hop.  She just returned home from Chile where she was teaching in Santiago and Antofagasta.