Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 11/13/2007

Question
Hi, I'm on a mission to get fouette turns, so i've started looking on the internet for tips as well, and all of the sites say that spotting is important. Unfortunately I have a scoliosis which has caused the bones in my neck to fuse so my range of motion in my neck isn't great; it means I can't spot too well. I've managed for a long time to find ways to compensate for this, I've defied all my doctors expectations and I can do other pirouettes fairly well due to an adaptation of a strong centre of gravity. I can easily pirouette without spotting, but fouettes are challenging me. Every time I do them I end up either swinging my leg around crazily or I move forwards heaps. Any tips for my fouettes without emphasizing spotting, and please don't tell me it's impossible because I'll find a way, I have for everthing else, I'm just hoping this will speed up the process. Thanks...

Answer
Spotting doesn't seem to be your problem, as you've described. In other words if you could spot well, you would still be travelling forward etc.

Here's the simplicity of this: if you can do 32 releves in retire, without travelling or losing your posture, then you could go on to do 32 releves at the barre, doing the fouette movement but not turning, without losing your postural line. Travelling in any direction means you are not going up and down in a straight line.

This is a basic strength factor. Your core abdominals, back muscles, turnout, thighs, calves, ankles, and sole of foot muscles all need to be strong enough to do the above 2 exercises. Since turning is not a problem for you, adding the spin factor is like icing on the cake.

Having a tense neck is another sign that your strength needs increasing. Whether spotting or not, your neck muscles should not be tense. The weakness somewhere below the neck is causing that tension, and causing you to travel during the pirouettes. You need someone to watch you do the plain releves in retire and see what is primarily out of line.

In fact, back it up a little further. Do slow motion press ups and down in retire, maintaining your postural line, relaxing the ankle and calf completely at the bottom of each demi plie, and relaxing your neck and shoulders. You'll see where you deviate from your postural line (ear lobes over shoulders, over pelvis, over foot).

When you can do that, add the fouette motion without turning, and see what happens to your postural line. Take your time with this and let your teacher know, if she/he doesn't, that you are back-peddling in order to get this exactly right.  

I can't see you, but I know you'll figure this out.

Pilates has great core exercises for this kind of thing - but the slow motion releves are just as good, at your level.



For your neck, or any other overworked muscles use an ice pack at least twice a day. A homeopathic cream called Traumeel is wonderful for soft tissue repair. Apply after icing.

Please let me know how this goes! You have a challenging and unusual predicament.

Since you haven't marked this as private, I'm going to put this into the blog at http://www.theballetstore.com It's an unusual and interesting question!

A brief follow up - I've recommended to almost everyone to read my articles and blog entries at http://www.theballetstore.com You have to create a user name to log in to see all the blog entries - your privacy is safe! I really apologize that I didn't tell you this - I'm not a technical person!