Tuesday Tips: Twisted Ballerina
Nemesis Trick: Twisted Ballerina
I hear people say that this is a back flexibility trick; and yes, you do need a certain amount of back arch to hold it. But, if you look at the picture above, you will note that my back is laying flat on the pole, not “twisted” around it. If you can lay on your back on the ground and grab your legs, you can do it up the pole– but there are definitely some tricks you will need to know in order to get into the position. If your torso is not very long, you will have more difficulty with this.
You do need hip flexibility to grab your back foot. That’s one reason why my ballerina is not as pretty as it could be: my hips are much tighter than my hamstrings, and so I can’t “cheat” the flatness of the ballerina split the same way I can cheat my jade to be completely flat. So, please excuse that the pose isn’t quite as nice as I wish it was!
Take a look at the video below, and we’ll talk about the points of the video in more detail so that it makes more sense. Click here to get taken to the live blog entry if you’re reading this is your email, or the video won’t show.
Here is a step-by-step, as shown in the video:
- If you are trying to turn your torso around the pole with your crotch touching the pole, you will get stuck! You really need to sit your hips back so that they’re not directly next to the pole. Try to lay yourself down onto your knees, and THEN turn so that you are getting your back on the pole.
- You will need to grip the pole very securely between your knees and shins to keep a good hold and not slip down as you lean forward and begin your turn with your shoulders. If you can, try to turn your shoulders enough to get your armpit on the pole. To make the arm motion clean, think about reaching up toward the ceiling and then reaching back like you’re making a huge circle in the air with your hand– try to keep your arm straight as you get it in position, so you don’t look like you’re flailing. The armpit grip will help you in the next step.
- As you complete the turn of your shoulders, you will need to release your front leg so that you can open the knee away from the pole, which will cause the hips to turn so that they are no longer facing forward– that will help you to really turn your back! This will require that you have a very good hold with your hooked climbing foot- you should definitely be confident with a one-legged stand on the pole before you try this move. As you continue to turn your knee out and away from the pole, you can brace yourself in place by pressing the palm of your bottom hand into the pole in front of your bottom thigh. Then grab your back foot with your top hand and when you’re secure, you can release the bottom foot and hand.
When I do this trick, the turn of the shoulders is a continuous movement, with the knee opening the entire time and timed to the security of my armpit hold. I cannot completely turn my shoulders until my knee is off the pole, so it’s a question of having enough grip with the armpit and the bottom hand to lock me into place until I can grab the top foot. As you get more comfortable, you can remove the bottom brace hand!
I hope that helps! Happy twirling and good luck! If you have any other tips on the twisted ballerina, feel free to share in the comments.
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I will have to give this one a try. I do ballerina but I don’t grab my back foot and go around with my body from the other side (if my left leg is in front of the pole, I go from the right side of the pole and vice versa).
Here’s the link for a pic, I hope it works: https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/294699_2069854378583_1011553927_31934138_1526554_n.jpg
Yours looks prettier though
Your ballerina is beautiful! I find that going around the pole in the direction described in the tip helps you to get more of your back on the pole, so that you can extend much more into the split. Good luck with it! =)
Twisted Ballerina. Now I know the name of this trick!! I haven’t quite figured out how to gracefully get into it when dancing, but…..it’ll get there!!
Thanks for the tips! And the blog! I didn’t know it existed until now!
)
No prob, Patti! The tuesday tips come up every week, so let me know if there’s something in particular you’re looking for help with. =) And I’m glad you found the blog!
Awesome!! Thank you. Michelle pointed me here. Now I know where she keeps getting these tricks for me to try! So fun.
Supplied w/ your picture as a reference, of course. 
Do you mean Chicago Michelle? She told me about your good news, so exciting and congratulations! Let me know if there’s a tutorial or a trick you’d like to see featured in Tuesday Tips, I could push it to the front of the line for ya. If you’re in the mood to look around for fun stuff to try, check out poledancedictionary.com =)
Yep- Chicago Michelle. I tell her I’m an “M” girl, b/c she’s helped me so much.
) And thank you! I’m in it solely for the fun, b/c…..it’s just been 2 years. 
I feel like I’m not fluid enough.
I LOVE that pole dictionary. There is so much in there. So – I’ll ask you a question not related to twisted ballerina here (sorry) – when you climb into yogini – do you wrap the outside foot (my left) around the pole while you grab your (for me) right foot with the right hand? I love doing it – but it should be more fluid. Maybe w/ practice. I climb, wrap and bend, grab extend and then from there I drop into a hip lock, since i’ve got my left leg coming back around anyway. There has to be a prettier way.
I am sooooo not a pretty dancer. LOL
Thanks Amy!
Thank you for another great Tuesday tip, Amy!!!
)))
I had already given up on that one blaming it on my body proportions… but now I understand what I did wrong – basically all of the above plus trying to get around the wrong side of the pole (right leg behind trying to bring torso to the right side of the pole), I always felt stuck despite being quite back-bendy.
With your tips I just got into an elbow grip version, legs both straight and bottom hand still on the pole, but that’s further than I’ve ever gotten so far
Do you have any tips on how to reach your foot, it seems awfully too far away to grab.
I guess long torso with short arms doesn’t necessary help, but there must be a way I hope
In yoga I learned to get into any pose holding the foot by tugging the knee towards the chest, grab the foot close to my butt and then extend out, but that seems impossible here since the torso is already fixed by the pole.
Thank you!!!
WHOOHOO! That’s awesome Tine! I’m glad that the tips helped =) If you can get your armpit on the pole, instead of your elbow, you will find it much easier to reach back! Keep working on the motion of the body turn and I’m sure you’ll nail it soon =)
great trick this one!!! i thought i would need a very flexible back to do this..thanks for the tip..i need to work on my splits though… thank u very much amy!!
Ah, yes, it is much prettier with a great split, but you can still work it without the split and I think it’s still pretty =) You’re welcome!
Have been stuck on this trick for decades until I found your blog here. Now I can work it out. Thanks so much!!
Hahahah, I’m so glad to have been of help
I have noticed some people do this move opposite–ie if the left leg is in front, they lift their right arm….it looks like you lift the same side arm as whichever leg is in front? Is it just personal preference?
Also it would be helpful (for me anyway) if in some of your (future) tutorials you show it with your back to the camera…so that I can have that picture in my mind to mirror rather than reverse everything.
thanks!!
So the key is a good arm pit hold when doing this? I have the flexibility, I just start to slide down and cant hold it long