Chaînés vs. Soutenu Turns

I'm Back and EXTRA SALTY! Captions will upload soon.
About Me:
Hi, my name is Victoria! I’m a ballet dancer and teacher trained in the Vaganova method. I make instructional videos without sugar-coating the gritty details. I danced professionally as a freelancer, and in a contemporary company for several years in NYC. Due to the pandemic, I now reside in rural Pennsylvania. I'm a little salty because I struggle with chronic illnesses & invisible disabilities, but I try to keep it real and raise awareness...
FAQs:
Are you actually Russian?:
Yes, I’m technically a tiny bit Russian.
We always thought my mother was 100% Italian. But when she took the ancestry test, we learned she’s actually a bit Middle Eastern and Circassian (Southern Russia) as well!
Did you train in Russia?:
No, I did not attend ballet school in Russia.
But all of my instructors have direct lineage to the Vaganova Academy. I received a majority of my training from Ballerina Irina Lebedeva, as well as other former principal dancers from the Mariinsky Ballet and Bolshoi Ballet.
What ballet academy did you attend?:
I never attended a formal ballet academy. All of my training is a culmination of public dance studios and open adult ballet classes that would run 2-3 days a week- with the occasional summer intensive. This is why I’m only about 85% competent in my execution and lessons. I just do the best with what i've got- The average American dancer might not notice this, but the Russian dancers definitely do!
Growing up near NYC, I took advantage of the most prestigious schools and teachers in the area, including; Gelsey Kirkland, Simon Kazantsev, Yaroslav Fadeyev, Katherine Healy, Leslie Browne, Lupe Serrano, and collegiate programs at American Ballet Theatre.
I did visit St. Petersburg and Moscow after I graduated college in 2012. I had the absolute honor of visiting the Vaganova Academy and observing some classes. I also took company class with Yacobson Ballet.
Where do you work as a professional?:
Since I got such a late start in my training, (and went to college right after high school) I didn’t join a company until I was in my late 20s. Until then, I was mostly teaching and freelancing. I did Nutcracker gigs, occasional guest appearances for studio productions, and entertainment gigs for high end parties. In 2019 I joined a contemporary ballet company in NYC. I left in 2021 when I moved to Pennsylvania. Now I teach in multiple studios in PA, but I'm trying to start my own ballet company.
What’s the story with your company?:
I’m the founder of Indigo Ballet, a collaborative, dancer-run company with no hierarchy. Currently, I’m working on building a repertoire of virtual performances (music videos) to show people what we have to offer. We will be performing for a live audience in Spring/Summer of 2024!
If you wish to donate towards this endeavor, funds will go directly to the dancers of Indigo Ballet. You can do so at- gofund.me/fe17...
Why do you talk about your chronic illnesses?:
Firstly, this is just the platform where I have the most outreach. I am passionate about raising awareness about hidden illnesses, also called “invisible diseases.” I feel these illnesses are especially relevant to the average ballet dancer since; The field is dominated by AFABs that frequently gravitate towards dance because of natural flexibility. This correlates to hyper mobility spectrum disorders and connective tissue disorders which are rarely diagnosed, and can lead to serious problems later. AFABs also have higher rates of autoimmune disorders and are most likely to have our pain dismissed, if we are not already hiding it for fear of being seen as unreliable or weak.
The ‘teacher’ in me wants to educate any chance I get. If my shared experiences can help a dancer get a diagnosis, early treatment and a longer, healthier career; why wouldn’t I talk about it?

[@Anne-Mirthe]

Thanks for mentioning there's a cheat in the soutenu turn. I was overthinking this and thought I did something wrong.

[@mirukutoh88]

Yay a ballet video! Always loved your tutorial

[@flightydancer]

Sweet intro! Seeing how energized from the extra salt, maybe your body really needed that?

[@emirashier]

LOL you can clip your video...I liked your clear explanation. Thanks!

[@EliseCharlotte]

Thank you, Salty! I never learned about Soutenu turns until now 😊 Can they also be done on pointe?

[@KiraHelenRose]

I was taught that a true soutenu is the one in place, where you bring the leg out and then back into fifth where you are and then turn. And the other is a pique soutenu. And then detourne is where you go up to releve from fifth and then turn. But my main teacher calls that a sous-sus turn.

[@SaltySugarPlum]

YEP!!! soutenu just implies 'sustaining' upwards. you can do an assmblé soutenu, or even soutenu up into a développé during adagio for example. but this question specifically asked about soutenu *turns* which is why i didn't mention those details. Détourné is frequently taught as just a half turn, sometimes teachers use the terms interchangeably, but i didn't want to add anymore confusion, lol

[@ericgaudry8048]

What’s the différence between 'déboulé' and 'chaîné’? Merci.

[@jevans96]

Can you do a soutenu vs detourne video?

[@KiraHelenRose]

This video explains the en dehors vs en dedans for soutenu. Seems it’s just whether or not you close the leg that you tendu out with into the front or to the back. But they both turn toward the back leg.
ua-cam.com/video/G6wL1gtzCDg/v-deo.html
Which I guess makes sense considering that a pirouette from fifth en dehors turns toward the front leg. Which seems wrong, but since that front leg is the leg that goes to passé, making it the working side and not the supporting side, then it makes sense.
No clue why they chose to do it that way instead of the same as en dehors from fourth but just in fifth. It’s much easier to do that way.

[@andreaorellana3795]

Aren't soutenus begun with arms in 3rd versus 2nd position?

[@esstown]

Is there a such thing as a glissade turn?

[@SaltySugarPlum]

YEP! it's basically a soutenu turn. i believe it's most often called 'tour glissade en tournant ' when it's being done en pointe. it's also sometimes called "tour de basque" (i think?) performed en
tournant either in demi-pointe or pointe. but that's pretty uncommon to hear.

[@Dances_in_the_kitchen]

Isn’t a soutenou a pique turn without the passe?

[@SaltySugarPlum]

no, if anything a soutenu is more similar to a dégagé (lame duck) turn without lifting the leg into passé, because both turns involve getting the legs through a little sous sus before turning and they both go en dehors.
sometimes you can work up to doing dégagé turns en pointe by practicing soutenus first. (it's in my Odette Dégagé tutorial)
you can do a soutenu from plié or a pique. pique just means to step onto a pointed foot. pique turns with passé turn en dedans. and legs dont have to switch in front of the other. pique turns dont go through sous sus position before turning.
ah, sorry for all the edits! I'm responding on my phone and auto correct is a nightmare with french words.

[@Dances_in_the_kitchen]

@@SaltySugarPlum yeah you’re probably right, I’m not too familiar with ballet technique. However my contemporary teacher lets us do „soutenus“ that actually are more like pique turns without the passe but I think we do not cross the legs 🤔 but it’s contemporary dance… anyways thank you for this tutorial. It’s always nice to watch your videos, you know SO MUCH!!! 😃🙏🏻