A pirouette en dehors is a classical ballet term meaning “a spin, turning outward” and describes when a dancer turns toward the direction of the leg they lift into the turning position. For example, a dancer with their left foot in front, will lift the right foot into the pirouette and also turn to the right in a pirouette en dehors.
Pirouette en dehors is likely the first kind of pirouette a ballet student will learn after learning about chaines or soutenus. Because pirouettes requires a fair amount of strength and balance to releve and turn on a single leg, they are considered an intermediate step. However, pirouettes of all types, especially pirouettes en dehors, are very common in ballet and all types of dance. This is because the ballet term pirouette en dehors basically describes any turn where the dancer turns to the direction opposite of the leg they’re turning on.
