How To Clean And Perfect My Pirouettes And Chains?

Spotting in pirouettes and chaines?

• I have never been able to spot, but now that I have been expected to do 2+ turns, I am realizing how badly I really am at spotting. I think that my major problem is that I'm trying to whip my head around, but I'm having trouble actually keeping my eyes on the thing I am spotting! For example if I'm spotting a big picture on the wall, my head (for the most part) can whip around ( although i still need practice with that) but my eyes can not seem to keep themselves on the picture frame!!! Please give me tips on spotting, and things that may help me to improve this issue. Also, if you also struggled with spotting- how did you improve? Are there any websites where i can find good info on spotting???? Could you please tell me step by step how to properly spot, pirouette, and Chane??? Please Help Me!!!!!

• Answer:

  The only way to learn and practise spotting is by starting slowly. Your teacher should have helped you with this years ago, but anyway, here's how to do it now. Standing in the centre of the room, find a convenient "spot" at eye level. You need to choose something you can quickly identify, and something that stands out. Even stick a bright sticky note on the wall if there's nothing else there. Slowly start to shuffle around on the spot, on both feet, doing the spotting head movements as you have been taught, ie, leave your head behind until your body has turned as far as it can without moving your head. Then whip your head around fast, to be looking back at your spot before your body gets back to where it started. Practise this slow turning around up to 10 times in each direction. When you have done it a few times, do it again a little faster. When you are feeling more confident doing it by shuffling around on both feet, then you can try varying it, so that perhaps you might do one pirouette turn, shuffle around for the next 2, pirouette again, another 2 shuffled turns, and so on. this can also help for travelling turns like chaines. You can do exactly the same exercise slowly moving down the diagonal.