As a beginner in ballet, you are probably wondering what it takes to become a ballet dancer.

Whether your goal is to actually dance ballet or just learn all about it, here you will find detailed
information about one of the most beautiful and graceful of all dance styles. If you've ever seen a
live ballet on stage, you are aware of a ballerina's amazing ability to transport an entire audience
into another world. Ballet dancers must be highly trained and disciplined, but their hard work
and dedication is evident in their ability to glide effortlessly across a stage. Learn all about the
facinating dance genre of ballet.

Becoming a Ballet Dancer:

Maybe you want to become a professional ballet dancer, or maybe you're curious to try a few
moves. Perhaps your child is begging to take ballet lessons. Ballet is fun no matter how old you
are or what goals you wish to accomplish through ballet. Becoming a ballet dancer can be as
simple as practicing moves in your bedroom, or as complex as becoming a major dancer in a
ballet company. All ballet dancers have one thing in common: a love of the grace, beauty and
discipline of ballet.

Transcript: How to Pirouette

Hello everyone. My name is Luis Dominguez. I am the artistic director for Lexington Ballet here in
Lexington Kentucky, for About.com. Today we are going to show you how to pirouette.

Turning in a Pirouette

There are many different ways in which a dancer can turn. What we are going to show you today is the
basic turns in passe, and the turns are going to be performed en dehors, which means, outside. Rose is
going to help us improve our turns. From fifth position she takes a tondeu to the side and she goes to
fourth position, and she is going to do three turns.

Use a Spotting Action During a Pirouette

In order to perform a pirouette it is very important to use a spotting action. A spotting action is when
your eyes lock into something and you turn around keeping your eyes on that place by turning your
head around and snapping back to that place with your eyes. It's very important to perform this action
as you do the turn.

The Classical Pirouette

When the foot of the working leg meets the knee of the standing leg, that position is called passe. This is
the position that we turn in. Rose takes fifth position, tondeu to the side, and then into fourth position,
this time both knees are bent, one leg is in front of the other, both arms are bent and she is going to
turn three times. Very important that the shoulders gyrate and they are connected with the bottom part
of the legs. It is very important to know the difference between a neo-classical turn and a classical turn.
She has the back leg absolutely straight, note that the front arm is absolutely straight, and from here
Rose is going to take three turns.
Improving a Pirouette

In order to improve your turns you may want to get a hold of one of these, a simple piece of wood, the
bottom of a rocking chair. Put your foot onto it and in passe, and you are going to turn and try to stay in
that position. The objective should be absolutely straight as you turn.