There are as many turns in dance as you can invent in a choreographer’s imagination, but there are some basic turns that everyone learns in class. Below are the ones I collected from open sources, work hard dance hard!
Pirouette en dedans (a turn towards the midline of the body—to the inside)
Pirouette en dehors (a turn away from the midline of the body—to the outside)
Jazz pirouette (like those above but with the knee facing front instead of turned out 90 degrees as in ballet)
Attitude turn (like pirouette but free leg is in attitude position)
Arabesque turn (like attitude turn but free leg straight behind the body)
Pique turn (where the turning leg “stabs” the ground and the body and the other leg follow, either in passe position or at the ankle)
Chaine turn (quick little turns on both toes with the feet held together)
Fouette turn (a whipping motion where the free leg moves up to the knee and then out and around—an advanced turn)
If you search online for each of these turns, you’ll find both images and videos with demonstrations and variations. So, happy practice!
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