Comments on: Defining and Dissecting a Piqué Turn

By: Nichelle (admin)

Nichelle (admin) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:01:34 +0000

I’m glad it worked for you Lucie! Best of luck as you continue to perfect the turn.

By: Lucie

Lucie — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:58:19 +0000

Dear Nichelle,

Thank you so much for this very teachful post! I have been struggling with piqué turns since I began dancing. None of the many hours I spent exercising them at home lead to any improvement, and I’m a had worker! It was a big source of frustration, for practising piqués without turns was not a problem to me…
I’ve read your post after having once again miserably failed at piqué turns in class yesterday. I had never realized that the hips should be facing the corner when the working leg touches the ground. I tried to apply it and it changed everything! For the first time, piqué turns actually felt fun to me and I won’t be affraid anymore it they stand on today’s class’ program. I obviously belonged to those people who don’t do this swivel naturally. Thank you so much for this advice!

By: Nichelle (admin)

Nichelle (admin) — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 01:24:56 +0000

Hi Jessie! I'm sorry I seemed to have missed this comment before. Someone with a better knowledge of physics might be able to answer and explain your question better. With that said, momentum is the force that powers the turn and yes the force comes from your plié, not any kind of whipping action of the rond de jambe. This opening of the body is what directs and gives the turn its rotation - torque? - but it is not the power source. This is similar in pirouettes. Beginners often try to whip or wind up their arms to give their turn momentum but actually it should, once again, come from the plié. A resource you might want to check out is Physics and the Art of Dance: Understanding Movement by Kenneth Laws. His work has been important in the dance field.

By: Jessie

Jessie — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 03:41:10 +0000

Hi, Nichelle! Thank you so much for this very detailed and helpful article. I want to know what is the momentum that gets the body turning in a pique tour. I thought the turning momentum came from the quarter rond de jambe of the working leg before the retire, the spotting of the head and the inward motion of the arm. I thought a deep plie would mainly help the working leg get straight up, but it seems according to this article plie should play the main role of turning the body. This is actually a question that I have for all turns and pirouettes–I don’t understanding how an upward plie can result in a rotating motion. Thank you for the article and your help!

Jessie

By: Giselle Roundup

Giselle Roundup — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:50:36 +0000

[...] own dancing was magical, particularly in Giselle’s variation where she substituted the usual piqué turns with a fiendish sequence of pirouettes en dedans & en dehors (watch Tamara do this at 2:02 in [...]

By: 9 Tips for Improving Pirouettes and Turning in Dance | Dance Advantage

9 Tips for Improving Pirouettes and Turning in Dance | Dance Advantage — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:21:56 +0000

[...] Defining and Dissecting a Piqué Turn [...]

By: En Dehors, Out the Door -- The Difference Between En dehors and En dedans | Dance Advantage

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:02:13 +0000

[...] terminology applies to fouetté turns, piqué turns (the most common of which are en dedans – read more on piqué turns here), turns à la seconde, grand rond de jambe, and rond de jambe en l’air. I won’t go into [...]

By: 3 x 12 — The Best of Dance Advantage 2009 | Dance Advantage

3 x 12 — The Best of Dance Advantage 2009 | Dance Advantage — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:02:58 +0000

[...] For Students: Defining and Dissecting a Piqué Turn [...]

By: Giselle Round-up « The Ballet Bag

Giselle Round-up « The Ballet Bag — Fri, 22 May 2009 08:45:38 +0000

By: danceadvantage

danceadvantage — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 03:02:51 +0000

Lisa, thanks for your question. I hope I’m interpreting what you are asking correctly. I tried to touch on this above but it can be difficult to write out in a concise manner. My feeling and my experience is that as you shift weight to the working leg, your body (shoulders and hips) face forward (to the corner or side of room that you are turning toward). When the turn on one leg is complete and you’ve shifted back to the supporting leg your body will be sideways (or perpendicular to the corner or side of room) but only for a short time because the weight is almost immediately shifted back to the working leg for the next turn and the body repeats the above. Many endedans pique turns in a row will ultimately feel like you are moving in a forward direction. Some teachers may say differently but if one observes dancers completing the turn in slow motion, you can see this forward motion. I hope that answers your question. Thanks very much!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:09:42 +0000

After the initial prep for a pique turn, is your body facing front or side at the end of each turn? (thank you)

By: Dianne M. Buxton

Dianne M. Buxton — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:28:45 +0000

Just an appreciative comment Nichelle, on the quality of the turn, defined by the word “pique”, and your note of not letting the closing arm lag behind. When the body arrives onto the point of the supporting leg, and the retire foot places in its position, and the arms reach their position at the exact same moment, you have a perfect picture visually, no additional movement to throw the turn off, and therefore the pique quality. Also, to follow at whatever appropriate time, doing a double turn is easy. An excellent analysis. Thanks!

By: Teaching Piqué Turns « Dance Advantage

Teaching Piqué Turns « Dance Advantage — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 08:50:25 +0000

[...] a recent DanceStudioOwner teleseminar – When and how should piqué turns be taught? Given my recent Piqué Turn How-To, I thought I would expand into my process for teaching this turn. I am offering my own thoughts and [...]