7 Most Effective Exercises For Turnout In Ballet Dancers

Turnout is a popular term used in ballet dancers. Many dancers have heard the saying, “The better the turnout, the better the dancer.” Although this phrase is not necessarily true, there are ways to improve turnout and this post will cover the 7 best exercises for turnout.

What is Ballet Turnout?

Despite the common misconception that turnout comes only from the feet, the majority of turnout actually comes from the hips. The knees and ankles also play a smaller role in turnout. The International Association of Dance Medicine and Science reports approximately 60 percent of turnout comes from the hips, 20-30 percent from the ankles and 10-20 percent comes from the knees.

Turnout is the angle between the center lines of the feet. Everyone has a slightly different natural turnout based on their body. The ideal angle for a good turnout is 180 degrees, however, a 180-degree angle is very rare due to the anatomy of the body. A 180-degree turnout is when the feet make a straight line together and do not rotate inwards

Anatomy of Turnout

The hip socket consists of the femur or upper leg or thigh bone and the acetabulum which is part of the pelvis. The hip joint is considered a ball and socket joint. Turnout is largely dependent on the ability of the femur to rotate in the hip socket.

There are specific turnout muscles that allow this turnout to occur. The deep external rotators include 6 muscles which are the piriformis, obturator internus, obturator externus, gemellus inferior, gemellus superior, and quadratus femoris muscles. These hip rotators are located in the hip/glute area and are beneath the gluteus muscles.

The gluteus medius and the muscles of the inner thigh or adductor muscles also play a smaller role in rotating the hip outwards. It is important to work on the right muscles when attempting to increase turnout. Now that we have the background information on turnout, you can learn how to improve your turnout and better your dancing career.

Why Do Some People Have Better Turnout?

A common misconception is that with enough hard work, you can get your turnout to 180 degrees. This is not true. You can get a better turnout angle with specific strengthening and range of motion exercises, however, your inherent anatomy will dictate how much turnout you can achieve.

Some people may not be achieving their full turnout potential due to a lack of strength in the deep external rotators or a lack of flexibility. The bone structure plays the largest role in the amount of turnout someone will be able to achieve. This includes the head of the femur or thigh bone, orientation of the hip socket, elasticity of the ligaments around the hip, and if you have femoral anteversion vs femoral retroversion.

Femoral retroversion allows the toes to naturally face outward while femoral anteversion allows the toes to face more inward. You cannot change your bone structure, but you can change the strength and flexibility of your muscles.

Zaichik Stretching Technique

Zaichik stretching technique was created by Paul Zaichik, a fitness and flexibility expert. The main components of this technique use stretching techniques to improve flexibility, including improving turnout in a safe way. This is a well-known ballet technique taught in some ballet classes to improve turnout.

Turnout Exercises For Young Dancers

The best turnout exercises for young dancers include a combination of strengthening the hip external rotator muscles and stretching the hip flexors and glute muscles. The best 7 turnout exercises are 1. Sidleying clamshells, 2. fire hydrant, 3. bridge with resistance band, 4. standing hip circle with resistance band, 5. butterfly stretch, 6. piriformis stretch and 7. hip flexor stretch.

Improving Turnout In Adults

It is not too late to improve turnout even in adults! As mentioned earlier, turnout depends on bone structure, flexibility and strength. You can improve turnout at any age by focusing on improving strength and to some extent flexibility.

How To Improve Turnout Ballet

To improve turnout in ballet you should perform a mix of these exercises daily. It is important to focus on where your specific deficits are. For example, if you have good flexibility but weak hip external rotators you shoulder focus more on the theraband turnout exercises.

These turnout exercises include both non-weight bearing exercises and weight bearing exercises. For best results it is important to perform each of these exercises with good form and progress yourself at your own pace. A helpful hint for turnout is that if you feel stress on your knees, you are not performing it correctly. The majority of the turnout should be coming from your hips.

Turnout Exercises With Theraband

• A theraband can add good resistance to an exercise and assist in strengthening the muscles without looking bulky. The turnout exercises with theraband are 1. Sidelying Clamshells, 2. Fire Hydrant, 3. Bridge With Resistance Band, and 4. Hip Circle With Resistance Band.

1. Sidelyling Clamshells

• This simple exercise is also known as the clam exercise and strengthens the hip external rotators.
• The first position for this exercise is to lie on your side with your hips stacked on top of each other.
• You will now keep your feet stacked on top of each other and rotate your top leg upwards while keeping your bottom leg on the ground.

2. Fire Hydrant

• Get on your hands and knees with your hands directly beneath your shoulders and your knees beneath your hips.
• Tighten your abdominal muscles and lift up one leg and rotate it out to the side and then return back to the original position.

3. Bridge With Resistance Band

• This is a great way to strengthen the glute muscles and the hip external rotators with one exercise.
• Place a resistance band around your knees.
• Now tighten your butt muscles and push your hips up while also simultaneously pushing your legs outwards.

4. Standing Hip Circle with Resistance Band

• Place a resistance band around your ankles.
• Now stand and balance on one leg while drawing a half circle with your foot that is off the ground.

Stretches For Turnout

These stretches for turnout include 5. Piriformis Stretch 6. Butterfly Stretch 7. Hip Flexor Stretch.

5. Piriformis Stretch

• This next exercise improve the range of motion of the hips by stretching your piriformis muscle.
• You will perform this by bending your right knee and placing your leg foot on your right knee.
• Now allow your left leg to fully relax down while maintaining contact with your foot and knee. Now pick up your right thigh.
  • You should feel a strong stretch along your left butt.

6. Butterfly Stretch

• Sit with your knees bent and feet together and allow both of your knees to fall out to the sides.
• You should feel a stretch in the inner thighs. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds.

7. Hip Flexor Stretch

• This stretch stretches the hip flexor or groin muscle.
• Start with one leg bent in front of you and the other leg straight and behind you.
• Now lean forward and hold this stretch for 30 seconds.

Summary of Exercises For Turnout

In summary, the best way to improve your range of turnout is through stretching and strength work. These exercises for turnout will improve your turnout angle and help you to achieve your dancing dreams.

If you have pain with any of these exercises, stop and see a doctor. Ligament tears are common in dancers and it is important to see your healthcare provider if you suspect an injury. Here you can find 9 Simple Hip Labral Tear And Lower Back Pain Exercises.