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Kimbriel
Student
Miami Gardens, Florida
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What are good tips on how to stay up while doing a double pirouette?
When I do a double pirouette, it seems like I'm not up on enough. #doublepirouette #ballet
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Tate Osten
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Tate’s Answer
Ah, the elusive double pirouette - so simple in theory, so tricky in execution. If you feel like you're "not up enough," you're probably sensing that loss of lift, energy, or control midway through the turn. That moment where gravity starts winning and you can’t finish cleanly on relevé. Let's see what “staying up” really means and how to train your body to hold that line with strength and grace. "Not up enough" means - you’re not fully on the highest point of your supporting foot; you’re losing core and back engagement, so you collapse or “sit” into the turn; your push-off (from plié or passé prep) lacks enough vertical energy; you’re turning outward with force, but not upward with control.
You don’t have a “pirouette problem.” You have a strength and alignment problem - which is actually good news, because that can be trained.
Elevate from the ground, not just spin from it
Relevé must be alive, not passive; rise slowly to relevé passé and hold for 5–10 seconds
Close the ribs and fire the back; spot, but don’t snatch
Don’t drop the heel prematurely; train passé balance separately
Use arms to lift, not drag; visualize turning inside a narrow tube
You don’t have a “pirouette problem.” You have a strength and alignment problem - which is actually good news, because that can be trained.
Tate recommends the following next steps:
Amrutha Sarvani Akula
8
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Updated
Amrutha Sarvani’s Answer
Whether you’re a beginner or an intermediate dancer looking to improve your turns, here are 15 tips that’ll help you master single, double and even triple pirouettes:
1. Engage your core to help maintain good alignment (ribs, spine, pelvis, hips). Not only does your core strength help improve your technique, but it can keep injuries at bay.
2. Balance is key! Practice balancing in the position in which you want to turn—whether it’s retiré, à la seconde or en arabesque.
3. Align your ribs over your pelvis and keep this connection throughout the turn. Not only do the ribs stack over the pelvis, but the ribs should knit together and connect closer to the hips bones (this will help you to not fall backwards.)
4. Don’t twist the torso while turning.
5. Launch your turn from a well-placed plié—it is incredibly important in the execution of a pirouette.
6. Practice to find the right amount of push and use only the necessary amount of force.
7. Withdraw the foot quickly from the floor as you start the turn and bring the foot to a retiré.
8. Imagine energy in the supporting leg spiraling downward into the floor, while energy from the torso spirals up through the ceiling.
9. Visualize your knee drawing a circle around you as you turn.
10. Envision yourself hugging a large beach ball while you turn—this will help activate your back and arm muscles.
11. Work on your spotting technique—relaxing the head and neck, focusing the eyes and whipping the head with precision.
12. Breathe, relax and float around in your turn.
13. Remember that a pirouette is not a spin, but a controlled up and down movement that happens to rotate.
14. Just before the finish, lift up, activating the core muscles just a little bit more for a graceful landing.
15. Practice, practice, practice! Repetition and experience are essential to mastering turns.
1. Engage your core to help maintain good alignment (ribs, spine, pelvis, hips). Not only does your core strength help improve your technique, but it can keep injuries at bay.
2. Balance is key! Practice balancing in the position in which you want to turn—whether it’s retiré, à la seconde or en arabesque.
3. Align your ribs over your pelvis and keep this connection throughout the turn. Not only do the ribs stack over the pelvis, but the ribs should knit together and connect closer to the hips bones (this will help you to not fall backwards.)
4. Don’t twist the torso while turning.
5. Launch your turn from a well-placed plié—it is incredibly important in the execution of a pirouette.
6. Practice to find the right amount of push and use only the necessary amount of force.
7. Withdraw the foot quickly from the floor as you start the turn and bring the foot to a retiré.
8. Imagine energy in the supporting leg spiraling downward into the floor, while energy from the torso spirals up through the ceiling.
9. Visualize your knee drawing a circle around you as you turn.
10. Envision yourself hugging a large beach ball while you turn—this will help activate your back and arm muscles.
11. Work on your spotting technique—relaxing the head and neck, focusing the eyes and whipping the head with precision.
12. Breathe, relax and float around in your turn.
13. Remember that a pirouette is not a spin, but a controlled up and down movement that happens to rotate.
14. Just before the finish, lift up, activating the core muscles just a little bit more for a graceful landing.
15. Practice, practice, practice! Repetition and experience are essential to mastering turns.