Please advise -

I cannot get my dancers to turn in unison with multiple turns. I have shouted "head, head", "coca cola", "1,2".... Can't seem to make ANYTHING work.

Do you have any tricks of the trade?

When it comes to doing ANYTHING in unison, you cannot be afraid to call out individual names for individual critiques. Not everyone feels the flow of energy of a movement the same, so while each individual dancer thinks that they are doing what you want on "1,2"...they're not together. Decide who has it the cleanest and most like what you want, and then determine who is slower and who is faster: and let them know specifically. Do some trial and error and see if your dancers are able to correct it with just that much information. If not, you may have to revisit the elements of a turn as well as how to pay attention to those around you and try to match them.

Agreed, and take them, one at a time, and have them work on the count of the turn, individually. The ones who get it right, have them demonstrate. The ones who don't, have to earn that part of the dance. If they can't do it, they don't do that section.

I've also found sometimes a certain prep works better than others. Are you going into it from a ronde de jambe leg swing? If that makes sense.....Or a double turn? Sometimes changing their start can also help a bit. Granted, it's not fixing those who have the issues....but it can also help

I know this sounds strange - it's an old drill team trick, and you'd never see it in a studio, but it works like a charm... Start having them do a 1/4 turn. When that's clean, increase it to a 1/2 turn. When that's clean, keep adding 1/4ths. It freaks them out, and it really makes them re-think everything. But it's critical that you don't add another 1/4 until everyone is perfect. This is truly an excellent exercise to clean up turns.

^ I use this method to teach clean turns as well. It really works!

panic wrote:

I know this sounds strange - it's an old drill team trick, and you'd never see it in a studio, but it works like a charm... Start having them do a 1/4 turn. When that's clean, increase it to a 1/2 turn. When that's clean, keep adding 1/4ths. It freaks them out, and it really makes them re-think everything. But it's critical that you don't add another 1/4 until everyone is perfect. This is truly an excellent exercise to clean up turns.

I have done that, too. Not too often, usually they get it before then but, yes Panic, that is an excellent method.

Videotape them. When I'm cleaning a dance and have to repeat corrections, I will video it and show them.

I use the method Panic talked about in my classes all the time. Definitely not foreign to the studio setting.

I think it also has a lot to do with the dancers you choose to turn in unison. Several of my advanced girls who've danced together for many years just always seem to turn in unison without much coaching from me. I think it's just because they've spent so much time together.

I find counting the turns themselves doesn't work but counting the spotting is really effective. Instead of counting the rotations count their head whipping from their spotting point (usually the front). So every time their head turns to the right (if you're doing right turns), that's your count. Hope that makes sense. I've found it really helpful.

Make sure everyone's preparation is exactly the same. A lot of times things go off before the turning even starts.

Trying starting out with 1 person doing the turn then add and second person once those 2 are together add a third person. Once those 3 are together add the 4th person and so on.

The jazz syllabus that came in just as I stopped doing exams uses that method Panic mentioned for teaching turns. The kids are examined on their ability to do 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 turns as well as full turns in one particular level. (Next grade up continues this idea.)

Helen

Something that has helped for me is having the dancers say "Head" or "Spot" on the proper count--not having me say it, but having them call it out while I clap it. I do like the 1/4 turn increments idea, too, & I agree that the problems can start with the prep.