Keep it Safe: Turnout

This is one post in a series, on ways to avoid injury while pursuing your ballet-based fitness goals.  This class is focused on wellness.  When it comes to the choice between "perfect" ballet technique and protecting yourself from injury, ALWAYS choose to protect yourself.

What is "perfect" is what is "perfect for you!"

Let's talk about TURNOUT...

THE IDEAL:  The ballet discipline considers perfect turnout as 180-degree outward rotation of the legs and feet, where the fronts of a dancer's thighs, their knees, and their feet are all pointing 180-degrees outward from the center of their body.  That kind of turnout looks like this:

(Images from Pittsburg Ballet Theater)

THE PROBLEM: "Perfect" turnout is rare and usually not attainable unless you've been dancing continuously from a young age -- and sometimes, not even then.  Dancers looking for perfect turnout may force their feet to rotate farther than legs are able to.  This twists the knee joint in a way it is not meant to move.  The knee joint is a hinge; it does not safely accommodate a twisting movement.  Chronic twisting of the knee will cause injuries that can be difficult to heal.  Working outside your natural turnout will also make you feel unstable and off-balance.

HOW TO KEEP IT SAFE:  To avoid straining or injuring your knees, always to work within your natural turnout.  This may mean your turnout is more of a 90-degree or 120-degree angle -- that's totally OK.

A good way to check that your feet are not over-rotated is to do a demi-plie in first-position, and look to see if your bent knees fall directly over the center of each foot.  If your knees fall forward, your feet are probably past their natural turnout and you should angle them inward a little more.

Pain in your knees is also a red flag that your feet are over-rotated.  Always back off whatever movement you are doing, if you feel pain in your knees.

Here's a great video, from Breaking Ballet, on a simple way to find your natural turnout, from a non-standing position.

Here's another great video, from Bennie Barre Pilates Studio, on how to find your natural turnout, from a standing position.  She also shows good examples of what bad turnout looks like.

Safe dancing, everyone!