Dance: Teaching Turnout in Color Guard

Not all dance instructors can teach dance to color guard students. Similarly, not all dance choreography works with color guard shows. Over the years, I have learned to mesh what I know about dance technique and choreography with the requirements of what works in and what is needed for color guard shows.

Color guard is interesting. Nearly everyone I've ever taught had little to know dance experience so you have to start at the beginning. However, you also have some folks who are great performers and don't want to spend hours on super basic technique! So that means I have to teach the basics in a new way, and quickly.

  Teaching Turnout  

My preference is to get in front of the color guard during auditions and start from scratch every year, no matter how many vets or rookies there are. When teaching movement, I try to start with functions rather than steps. For example, when I teach turnout (usually the first thing I talk about), I don't say to the students that they should stand in first position and their toes and knees point on the 45, which is what I notice most color guard instructors do.

Instead, I start by working from the hip without explaining the end result we will get.

I have them stand there, and ask them to stand on one foot, and flex their free foot with a super straight leg. I ask them to rotate the leg from the hip in and out a number of times, then I ask them to place it down into the turned out position. Then we repeat on the other side, so that they are standing in first position once we finish both sides!

As I ask them to rotate, I talk about how the hip is a ball and socket joint. When I ask them to turnout over the first few weeks/months of the season, I remind them that they turn out from the HIP only, not the knee, not the foot. I also talk about the inner thigh rotating forward, the inside of the heel pulling forward, and the butt cheeks working by rotating in towards each other (no wonder ballerina's have great bums) not clenching together.

  Future Technique Posts  

I'd like to hear from you! What other things would you like me to explain about how I teach dance technique to color guard students? Leave a comment, and if I explain that technique, let me know if you want me to link to a blog or website of yours!