A pirouette en dedans is a classical ballet term that describes a pirouette turning inward toward the standing leg. For example, if a dancer is turning on the right leg, the dancer will be turning to the right in an en dedans pirouette.
Pirouettes en dedans are an intermediate ballet step but very commonly seen in all types of dance in school and professional performances. This is because a pirouette en dedans basically describes any turn that is turning “inward” toward the standing leg. It can be thought of the opposite of an en dehors pirouette, where you’re turning “away.”
The most common type of pirouette en dedans is with the dancer in a retiré position with the arms in first or high fifth position. However, there are many other forms too. For example, you may see a dancer perform an attitude pirouette en dedans, or possibly an arabesque pirouette en dedans. Those two pirouettes, as you may have guessed, have the dancing turning inward toward the front foot while in a attitude or arabesque position.
