Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

tour en l’air, (French: ā€œturn in the airā€), in ballet, a complete single, double, or triple turn in the air, usually beginning from and ending in the fifth position (the feet are turned out and pressed closely together, the heel of the right foot against the toe of the left and vice versa). Performed almost exclusively by male dancers, it is usually a brilliant display linked by softer, less spectacular movements that require great style and control.