The parallel turn in contemporary: turning with parallel legs instead of turnout. Spotting, weight, build-up in stages and protection for ankle and dizziness.
The honest answer to “What is a parallel turn in contemporary?”: it is a turn in which the legs are parallel rather than turned out (not rotated outward as in ballet). The working leg is bent, often in passé or attitude, and hips and knees point forward. You turn around your own axis without the hip having to rotate outward. In contemporary dance this gives the turn a different character: less “pose on the ball”, more weight, flow and transition into the next move.
The advantage: because the hip does not need to rotate outward as far, the parallel variant is more accessible for many beginners. A study of 16 skilled dancers found that joint ranges of motion were greater in the classical pirouette than in the jazz pirouette (parallel); the author therefore considered starting with the parallel variant conceivable [1]. The catch: even parallel turns run via the ankle, which was the most heavily loaded joint in both variants [1].
How hard is it really? A single turn with a stop takes weeks to months (rule of thumb, no study evidence). You should know spotting and balance on the ball beforehand. There is no dedicated study on the parallel turn in contemporary; the evidence comes from pirouette research.
Stand in parallel first position (feet hip-width, toes forward). Lift the working foot to the standing leg (parallel passé), knee forward. Hips stay level. Stay in relevé. Milestone: five seconds of balance in parallel passé, both sides.
Fix a point, turn the body in quarters, the head stays at the point, snaps after and returns first. One study found: without spotting, dizziness after 14 revolutions was clearly stronger [2]. Milestone: four quarter turns without dizziness.
From a soft plié you push off with the standing foot and let the weight travel over the standing leg. According to one study, novices push off too hard and do not extend the joints in the right order [3]. Goal: little force, a clear path upward. Milestone: a half turn without tipping off.
Turn a full rotation with spotting and then hold the position for a breath. Small corrections of the base of support are allowed: experienced dancers shifted the base of support slightly in pirouettes, and this was associated with more revolutions [4] (transfer, ballet). Milestone: a full turn with a standing hold.
Contemporary lives on weight and release: you can let the turn run out into a fall or into floor work. Start with a controlled roll, not with a real fall. Learn falling and getting up again with a teacher. Milestone: a turn that passes in control into a plié or into a squat.
In the parallel turn, ankle, foot and balance system work. In a one-year study of 134 contemporary students, ankle and foot were the most common injury site at 30 % [5]. Dizziness comes with multiple turns: spotting shortens it [2]. Warm-up and breaks matter as well. In practice: use spotting, stand still for a moment after the turn, do not turn on slippery floors, practise floor transitions in stages. If you feel dizzy, sit down and wait. If you feel sick after several turns or the room sways for longer than a minute, end the session and drink something. If you regularly get dizzy after only a few turns, have it checked by a doctor. This guide explains and motivates but does not replace supervised training.
Turn first only in your head: close your eyes, imagine the turn, feel the impulse. Then turn it. Mental practice relieves the joints because you need fewer repetitions (practical experience, no study evidence). With many revolutions a gaze point becomes more important: in experienced ballet dancers, a visual reference improved balance more the more revolutions they turned [6] (transfer).
The parallel turn is done with parallel legs (knees and hips forward); the classical pirouette has the working leg in turnout. The parallel variant needs less hip mobility [1].
No. You need balance on the ball and spotting. Ballet helps but is not a prerequisite (rule of thumb).
No fixed time has been measured. Plan weeks to months for a controlled single turn.
Barefoot dancing is common in contemporary. On a smooth dance floor, turning barefoot or in socks works well; on a rough floor the skin brakes and the turn loads the knee. Check the floor beforehand and ask your teacher if unsure (practice, no study evidence).
With spotting, small doses and breaks. In one study dizziness after 14 revolutions without spotting was clearly stronger [2].
Contemporary Dance: What It Is and How It Stands Apart