Beginner/Improver Turns Masterclass: Saturday 25 May
Date: Saturday 25 May 2024
Location: Acosta Dance Foundation, Artillery Square, Building 40, 1 Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, SE18 6BH (5 mins from Woolwich on the Elizabeth line)
Time: 10.30 - 1.30pm
Level: Designed for Beginner/Improver level students
Price: £45
Ballet turns require full-body co-ordination and the perfect amount of impetus and speed. They can take years to master, and whilst some of us take to turning naturally, the vast majority of us do not! If equipped with the right knowledge and tools and with consistent practice and motivation, turning is something we can ALL get better at! This masterclass is designed to help dancers do just that!
We will breakdown the basics of some of ballet's essential turns and pirouettes helping to lay the foundations for clean, controlled and graceful movement in your centre work. For those who are more experienced, you will have the option to be introduced to some of ballet's more challenging and complex turns, providing the opportunity to work towards these steps in an inclusive and supportive environment.
This workshop is designed for anyone who:
Struggles to understand the different turns and pirouettes in ballet
Continuously falls out of turns and feels off balance and dizzy
Struggles to turn consistently or with control
Has pirouette 'anxiety' and immediately tenses up at the thought of turning
Struggles to progress to multiple turns or harder and more complex turn sequences
Who can attend?
This workshop is open to all but will specifically focus on Beginner/Improver level students. Whether you are wanting to understand the basics of turning, (such as how to appropriately start, sustain and land turns) or if you have a little more experience but are wanting to revisit the basics to fine-tune your alignment and placement, this workshop is for you! This workshop will introduce you to basic travelling sequences which help you to combine various turns together in improver level centre work.
By the end of the workshop you will better understand the biomechanics of turning well, taking away a toolkit of information and techniques which will help you to find your centre, stabilise and balance yourself, correct your body placement and posture and execute cleaner and neater turns.
Workshop schedule:
10.30 - 11.20am: Full length barre focused on introducing key principles and practices which support functional and effective movement patterns to aid balance, coordination and controlled impetus.
11.20 - 1.00pm: Centre work introducing seven key turns (details are below). We will integrate these turns into typical centre combinations and choreography. Various modifications can be offered to provide the appropriate amount of challenge
1.00 - 1.30pm: Use the studio space for private practice, whilst having the opportunity to ask questions/receive some personalised feedback from the teacher.
Detailed: Overview
Barre work will focus on refining some key skills which will assist with turning in the centre. This includes:
Preparation and coordination
1. Finding your centre
2. Utilising and sustaining your turnout in motion
3. Developing ankle strength and stability
4. A breakdown of the core and back muscles used for different turns
Posture and placement
- Initiating balance through effective preparation and landings
- Finding the correct passé and arm placement for YOU
- Stabilising yourself through spotting
During our centre work we will build on these foundations by introducing several key turns. These include:
- Soutenu turns
- Chaînés
- En dehor and En dedan pirouettes from 4th and 5th
- Piqué turns
- Piqué en tournant en dehors - (Lame duck turns)
The final portion of the class focuses on: Turn sequencing and travelling
- An introduction to typical turn sequences in open class choreography and variations
- Clean executions , transfer of weight and transitions in travelling turns
- Combining all the turns we have learnt so far into Beginner and Improver level choreography