Ask yourself, what's more important? To look like you have as good a turnout as that stuck-up princess in front of you, or to know that if you do it right, you will be a better dancer than her in a few years' time? Turnout is essential if you want to be a ballet dancer, but beware! Turning your feet out incorrectly can wreck your knees, hips and/or back, stopping your dance career before it begins.

The first, and vitally important, thing to do is to stop thinking about "turning out your FEET". Actually, it is the WHOLE LEG that turns out, right from the hip joint. If you try to turn out your feet alone, it places enormous stresses on your ankles and knees, and can cause permanent injury.

If you are forcing your feet into an extreme turnout from the knees, you can probably feel that something is not right. However there can still be a slight twist in the lower leg, even if you can't feel it. To check,do several plies in first, adjusting the position of your feet until your knees bend directly out over your toes. That is the right turnout for you.

Let me guess - it's disappointing, right? Being able to show off a good turnout is a matter of pride in dance class, and it's very tempting to cheat just a little, to keep up with the other students.

Do the following stretches to improve your turnout:

Frogs are good, and can be done in various positions. Lying on your back, put the soles of your feet together and bring your feet as close as you can to your butt, letting your knees fall out. Rest your hands on your knees. Now simultaneously try to bring your knees together, but resist with your hands. Keep pushing for a count of 15, then relax. You should be able to gently push your knees a little further down. This can be repeated 4 or 5 times.

If you prefer, you can do the same movement on your stomach. Don't do the resistance stretches, just relax and let the weight of your body increase the stretch.

Frogs can also be done sitting on the floor - soles of feet together, pull your feet towards you and squeeze your knees towards the floor.

It can also help to increase the stretch in your legs. Grab a magazine or book. Lie down with your knees curled up in front of you, your butt up against a wall (head facing away). Now straighten your legs, straight up the wall, and let them fall open to either side. You should look like you are "sitting" on the wall in a sideways split. Now open your magazine or book and start reading. Stay in the split for as long as you like. Gravity will pull your legs further apart.

Be warned, if you stay like this for half an hour, it will be hard to get out of! Bring your legs together along the wall, then roll sideways to get out of it.

Finally, strong glutes and abs will help to hold your turnout in place once you have it.

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