What ARE these pictures? These are your six – yes, SIX – muscles responsible for external rotation of the leg, i.e. TURNOUT. These six external rotator muscles are found deep within your bum under your gluteal muscles on each side (which means each of you actually has TWELVE). These muscles connect your sacrum, hip and pelvis bones to your femur (or thigh bone). Developing and using these muscles is extremely important for an Irish dancer. When you turn out, that motion should start with engaging these muscles up at the bum and hips, and then follow down the leg to the knee, ankle, and foot. Performing turnout correctly is not something that every dancer automatically knows how to do. In fact, every dancer should spend some time learning and understanding how to turn out correctly. This will save many from injury. If you repeatedly force turnout from your knee or ankle, you will almost certainly experience joint pain in your future. So go strengthen those external rotators and use them to practice correct turnout!