Pirouette tip: use that upper back torque!

Hello beautiful dancers!

Recently I've been watching my dancers do their pirouettes en dehors and have been noticing a common issue among those whose turns are not as successful as they would like, or those who can't complete multiple turns cleanly:

They don't articulate their upper backs.

Let me clarify the difference between "winding up" for a turn and "upper back articulation."

When a teacher tells you not to wind up before you turn, usually what that means is you are twisting your entire torso and arms at the waist before flinging them around. This completely throws off your center, doesn't engage your back muscles, and causes you to spin around rather than lift up.

On the other hand, upper back articulation is when you have a slight twist in the shoulders and top third of your torso, just around your scapulae. By pulling back at the scapula and allowing a torque under the shoulders, you are engaging the back muscles and also creating a spiral effect, much like the threads on a screw.

Dancer has slight torque in upper back - note scapula of left (closing) arm. Dance Australia photo credit

A dancer who isn't using their back is probably turning as a single unit, with no energy in their arms or force in their body. Remember, you need impetus to get you moving and momentum to keep you turning. All the releves and balance in the world won't result in multiple turns if you don't initiate from somewhere in your body.

No upper back torque: this is a single unit. Mom Ballet by Megan, cc license

Next time you are practicing your en dehors turns, try this:
--from your fourth position (or fifth or second), reach the gesture arm directly in front of you and the closing arm directly out to the side.
--pull back the scapula of the closing arm and feel the gesture arm stretch even farther away from your body. You should feel the shoulders twist toward that closing arm - but nothing else! Don't allow your torso or waist to twist. This is only in the upper back.
--when you release those arms for a turn, pull back from the scapula of the gesture arm and you should feel more force propel you as you pull the arms in. As long as you are pushing UP from the floor to a very high releve, you will achieve a pirouette rather than a spin.

Try it! And good luck! Happy dancing~