Hip Dominance and Distal Compensation in Turnout Control During Ballet Jumps: Multi-Joint Strategies Across Landing...

Turnout, or external rotation of the lower limbs, is a fundamental skill in classical ballet. While the hip is turnout's main contributor, the coordinated roles of the knee and ankle remain unclear under dynamic and aerial tasks, such as jumps. Previous studies have focused on static or bipodal tasks, overlooking unipodal landings in jumps. The aim was to analyze the kinematic contributions of the hip, knee, and ankle to turnout during three ballet jumps from fifth position: Assemblé Dessus (bipodal, with lateral aerial body displacement), Sissone Ouvert En Avant (unipodal, with anterior displacement), and Sissone Ouvert Devant (unipodal, with lateral displacement).

In this observational cross-sectional study, we assessed 30 female pre-professional dancers (20.1 ± 2.6 years; 11.7 ± 4.1 years ballet experience) using a cluster-based wedge-shaped marker protocol to improve accuracy of hip and knee axial rotation measurements. We used a six-degree-of-freedom model to calculate peak rotations and their timing, which were compared across joints and jump phases (preparation, flight, and landing) using repeated measures ANOVA (P < .05).

The hip consistently exhibited the greatest external rotation across all jumps and phases (P < .001). In both Sissones, hip rotation remained stable from flight to landing, whereas in Assemblé, hip and knee rotations decreased upon landing (P < .001). Ankle rotation increased during landing (P < .001) and was the lowest during flight. Timing of rotation peaks varied across joints: the hip peaked earlier, while the ankle reached its maximum in late flight and late landing.

The hip is the primary contributor to turnout in all jumps, whereas the knee and ankle act complementarily, with the knee reducing its contribution and the ankle increasing it from flight to landing. Jump type and landing support influence rotational contributions, reinforcing the need for training that optimizes coordination and joint alignment.