Learn the pirouette en dedans: preparation, turn toward the standing leg, stable axis and finish. What studies show, and where only pirouettes are tested.
The honest answer to “What is the difference between pirouette en dehors and en dedans?”: in the pirouette en dedans you turn inward, that is toward the standing leg; in en dehors the body turns away from the standing leg, outward. Which direction comes easier is individual; many dancers have a “favourite side” and a favourite direction.
Honest note up front: biomechanics research on pirouettes almost always studies the turn en dehors. For en dedans there are few direct measurements. What follows is therefore partly transfer (TRANSFER) from pirouettes in general and from a survey covering both directions.
This survey of 108 dancers asked about en dehors and en dedans: amateurs and professionals alike named the stable axis and the passé position as the core of a successful pirouette; professionals also stressed turnout and position; many described the axis as a line from the toes to the head [1]. Interesting: in the two directions they attended to different things [1].
How hard is it really? If you master en dehors you usually learn en dedans faster, but not automatically: the swing, the arm carriage and the body feel are different. Expect weeks until a clean single turn and months until reliable double turns (rules of thumb, no study evidence).
Stand on one leg with the other in retiré. Feel the axis: a vertical line from the crown to the floor. Milestone: five seconds of retiré in the centre without the upper body leaning.
The pirouette en dedans usually starts from a plié preparation (depending on the school from fourth or fifth position). The arms are in preparation. Important: the push comes from the plié, not from the upper body. In a study with 13 novices and 13 experienced dancers, the novices used more push force, had a more tilted rotation axis and extended the standing-leg joints less in the right sequence [2]. That means: dose the pressure and extend foot, knee, hip one after another.
A large part of the angular momentum comes from the work of the arms and upper body. In a measurement of pirouettes (en dehors) with single, double and triple turns, skilled dancers generated more angular momentum with more revolutions mainly through the upper trunk and arms; the trailing (closing) arm contributed the most [3]. In another analysis up to the quadruple pirouette, the hip torques had to be adjusted according to the number of revolutions [4]. These figures are for en dehors: take them as a hint, not as proof for en dedans.
Turn as a whole. The head leaves last after the turn and arrives first (spotting). Begin with half turns, then whole ones. Milestone: one whole turn without putting the foot down again.
End the turn with control in plié. The surveyed dancers explicitly named the smoothness of the finish (landing) as a feature of a beautiful pirouette [1]. Milestone: you land ten times in a row without the foot slipping.
In turning the ankle is loaded most: in a model calculation for classical and jazz pirouettes the ankle was the most loaded joint in both variants, even more in the classical one [5]. So warm up calves and ankle, increase the number of turns slowly, stop when tired and practise both directions. Pointe shoes are not part of this guide: pirouettes on pointe only after your teacher has cleared you. This guide explains and motivates but does not replace supervised training.
If one direction runs clearly better, practise the weaker side first while you are fresh (practical experience, no study evidence). And write down your own cues for en dedans: in the survey dancers had their own points of attention in each direction [1], so don’t simply copy those of en dehors.
Mini practice plan (rule of thumb): Twice a week for ten minutes early in class: first retiré balance standing, then half turns en dedans, then whole ones, five attempts per side. After each side write one sentence about what worked. Avoid double turns as long as the single one does not end cleanly in three of five attempts.
In en dedans you turn toward the standing leg, in en dehors away from it. The technique (axis, retiré, plié) is similar; preparation and arm carriage differ by school.
That is individual. Research gives no general answer; most measurements study en dehors [1][3][4]. Practise both directions so you don’t build a one-sided skew.
With a stable axis, a clean retiré and a controlled push. Novices usually push too hard and have a more tilted axis [2].
Spotting is part of technique, but not the first thing you learn. Begin with the axis and add the head in small steps (see the chaînés guide).
Grand Jeté: The Big Split Leap with a Soft Landing