Fantastic Fouettés from Osipova, Murphy, Rojo, Teuscher, Núñez, Semionova, Maximova and more!

A fouetté is a ballet term referencing a whipping movement. Grant (Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet) lists 19 fouette variants, but the most popular and attention grabbing is called a fouette rond de jambe en tournant. This is a dramatic and iconic step for females, featured in Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Flames of Paris variations. For better or for worse, some ballet fans view the step as the ultimate testing ground of any ballerina. In this video, I provide some of my favorite clips demonstrating breathtaking athleticism and technique from the world’s greatest ballerinas, along with historical perspective. The importance of the step is much debated among ballet fans and, for final thoughts, I give my views on fouettes in the broader context of ballet.

Thanks to Stephen Nelson and Jocely Delifer for helpful comments, particularly on Russian variant fouettés.

Sources

Background Material On Fouettés:
32 Fouettés, 32 Thoughts, Bostonballet.com
The feat of the fouette, DanceAustralia.com, June 10, 2020
‘Swan Lake,’ and Its 32 Fouettés, Alastair Macaulay, New York Times, June 13, 2016

Videos
Marianela Nuñez, Swan Lake-Coda from the Black Swan pas de deux in Act III (The Royal Ballet), @RoyalOperaHouse

Natalia Osipova fouettés, Natalia Osipova’s Amazing Versatile Fouettés, @TheBunduBallerina

Paloma Herrera fouettés and José Manuel Carreño turns in second position, ABT Now DVD, Image Entertainment, 2002

Christine Shevchenko fouettés, Extracts from the second act of the Swan Lake with Christine Shevchenko & Calvin Royal, @VicToria-hs4bx

Gillian Murphy fouettés, American Ballet Theatre Swan Lake DVD, Image Entertainment, 2005

Polina Semionova fouettés, Black Swan 2/2 Polina Semionova & Friedemann Vogel, @StupeurAlice

Maria Kochetkova fouettés, Don Quixote Grand Pas (Daniil Simkin/Maria Kochetkova), 28.09.2018, @Axis

Tamara Rojo fouettés, Tamara Rojo and Yoel Carreño-Don Quijote Pas de Deux, @jsl1952

Akane Takada fouettés, Insight: Ballet Glossary-Fouettés, @RoyalOperaHouse

Svetlana Zakharova fouettés, Svetlana Zakharova Amazing Fouettes, @Balletomancom

Ekaterina Maximova fouettés, DON QUIXOTE (Maximova-Vasiliev, 1972), @xxxFreyjaxxx

Devon Teuscher fouettés, from Devon Teuscher

Yuriko Kajiya, DON QUIXOT, American Ballet Theatre (2012-2013), @LiceuOperaBarcelona

Lucia Lacarra Italian Fouettés, Lucia Lacarra-Amazing Italian Fouettés, @TheBunduBallerina

Photos
Pierina Legnani portrait, 1891, Wikipedia, United States Public Domain

Pierina Legnani in Cinderella, 1893, Wikipedia, United States Public Domain

Marias Petipa, 1898, Wikipedia, United States Public Domain

All other photos from notmydayjobphotography.com

Видео Fantastic Fouettés from Osipova, Murphy, Rojo, Teuscher, Núñez, Semionova, Maximova and more! канала Kent G Becker