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FIGURE 1.10 Movement of the body in a sagittal plane about a mediolateral axis through (A) the center of mass of
the whole body, (B) an external point of support, and (C) a joint.“Bend the Knees to the Side”
D
uring work in turnout, some teachers use directional cues to help students try to maximize their
turnout. During standing in parallel position with the feet, the knees will bend or flex “forward”
in a sagittal plane. However, with ideal turnout, the hips would be externally rotated sufficiently to
allow the knees to bend “sideward” so that this movement would occur in a plane closer to the frontal.
Sometimes using this spatial cue of “reaching the knees to the side” or “bending the knees to the side”
can help dancers use more turnout and find muscles that can help with maximizing turnout. However,
as discussed later (chapters 4 and 5), it is important that the positioning of the knee be appropriate for
the individual dancer’s turnout and be achieved through emphasis on external rotation of the femur
at the hip joint versus excessive rotation of the tibia at the knee joint.