A pirouette is the most common spinning step in jazz. You need strong arms, a strong core, and strong legs to perform this dance move. There are many different exercises to stretch and strengthen your muscles. The most important muscles to focus on for a pirouette are your glutes muscles, hamstrings, quadriceps, calf muscles, your arms, and your core. To stretch your glutes muscles, lay on your back and put both feet flat on the floor. Your knees should be pointed towards the ceiling. Lift your right foot and place your ankle just above your left knee, on the bottom of your left quadriceps. Lift your left knee towards your chest as far as you can go, and hold it for 90 seconds to get a good stretch. Repeat for opposite side. To strengthen your glutes, quads and hamstrings, the easiest exercise is to do simple squats. You could also do walking lunges.
For your hamstrings, the best stretch is to lay on your back with your arms at your sides, legs straight, toes pointed, and core solid. With your left leg pointed about an inch off the floor, lift your right knee to your chest. Hold it there for about 20 seconds. Then extend your leg to the ceiling. Keep your leg straight and pull it as far towards your chest as you can. For an added stretch, put as much pressure as you can from your leg to your hands for 10 seconds, and then relax your leg, knee still straight, and pull your leg further towards your chest. Hold your leg for 90 seconds to get a really good stretch. Repeat this process for your left leg.
To stretch your quadriceps, stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Go down into a squat position. Place both hands on the floor behind you, and then let your knees fall forward as far as you can go.
For your calf muscles, stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Place your right foot in front of you and bend your right knee. Make sure your left heel stays on the ground. Go out as far as you need to to feel the stretch and then repeat for your right leg.
To stretch your arms, cross your right arm in front of your chest, and pull it with your left arm. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat for your left arm. Then lift your right arm above your head, and let you forearm fall to your shoulders. Your elbow should be pointing towards the ceiling. Pull your elbow backwards with your left arm. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat for your left arm. The best way to strengthen your arms is to do a series of arm circles. Extend your arms to your sides so they are 90 degrees with your body. Begin to circle then forward quickly with as much muscle tension as you can use. Keep the circles small for 30 seconds, then medium for 20 seconds, and large for 10 seconds. Repeat this going backwards to get the full effect.
To stretch your core, stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Lean to your left, only bending the sides of your core. Place your right arm over your head and reach out as far as you can. Repeat for the left side. For your upper and lower abdominal muscles, lay flat on your stomach. Put your hands on the floor directly under your shoulders and lift your upper body off the floor. Your hips should still be on the floor. Hold this for 90 seconds. To strengthen your core, there are many different crunches you can do. After you have decided which crunches you will do, choose your favourite up-beat song. Do 12 of the first type of crunch, then 12 of the second type of crunch, and so on. Repeat this cycle for the entire song. The crunches are:
Standard Crunch
Table Top Crunch
Butterfly
Side Crunch
Plank Hold
... You can also do leg lifts, where you lay flat on your back and lift your legs up to a 90 degree angle, lift your hips off the ground, let your hips back down, and then slowly bring your legs back down to the floor. Your legs should be in full point during this exercise. You must always remember during any crunch, plank, or leg lift exercise that targets your core, to keep your abdominals working throught the exercise, or your core will not be targeted properly.
To properly execute a pirouette, you must remember to engage your entire body, especially your core. This will help you with balance. Start off by standing with your feet shoulder width apart. Bend your knees and put the majority of your weight on your left leg. You will will be turning to the right, with your right foot in retiré. Put your right arm straight in front of your body, and your left arm out to your side. Make sure you are using the muscles in your arms, this will help you. You must bend your knees. Bending your knees is what gives you the momentum to get around. The you push up, your right leg goes into retiré, you go onto demi- point with your left foot, keeping your left leg straight and strong. As this happens you bring both of your arms into an oval in front of your ribs. It is important to push downwards with your arms while they are in this position because it helps with your balance. Always remember to keep your core tight and spot! Once you have spun around a full 360 degrees, land it in fourth position. This is where your right leg extended behind you, and yours arms will be slightly higher than your eye level in a V. The perfect example of a pirouette is in the video below, except she does 36 in a row. Her landing isn't perfect, but her technique is very good.
36 CONSECUTIVE PIROUETTES!
