Fantastic Fouettés from Osipova, Murphy, Rojo, Teuscher, Núñez, Semionova, Maximova and more!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ต.ค. 2022
- 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), @RoyalBalletAndOpera
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, @VictoriaaS20
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, @RoyalBalletAndOpera
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 - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
I was surprised you didn’t mention that Osipova often puts her right foot in passé behind her knee. Thank you for mentioning Copeland. As a prima ballerina she should be able to perform fouettés. I’ve always loved them and as a Russian trained ballerina my choice was a clean single, single, double with the right leg going straight to à la seconde. I’m a natural left turner but was taught to do turns to the right like most ballerinas. It benefited me immensely for the odd time when the choreography calls for a left turn as in Vaganova’s Diana et Acteon female variation. Many dancers chicken out and change the original choreography. Loved this!🇧🇷🇵🇹🇷🇺🩰🙏🏻👏🏻
Thanks for your perspective! Didn't know there are left turns in Diana and Acteon
@@KentGBecker it’s the à la seconde hop to an en dedans turn ending in arabesque done to the right , left and right again in the original choreography by Aggripina Vaganova. It’s considered one of the hardest variation for that reason. I love Ms Vaganova sick sense of humor to add the left turn. Nowadays many ballerinas swap the left part for a saute de chat and then complete the combo with the right side as usual. I confess I judge just a little.🇧🇷🇵🇹🇷🇺🩰
Although Misty wasn't able to do the full 32 fouettés in the number of clips I've seen her in as Odile, she can still do them regardless. Someone even had the audacity to call Misty lazy because of it! The nerve!
I think they are a fun element of a ballet. They spread joy to us, the spectators. And it shows how much stamina and training the dancers need to have to express the feelings of the narrative of that performance
I'm only an audience member, but I LOVE to see athleticism - for me it's 1. musicality 2. athleticism, and athleticism combined with rigorous technique is what makes ballet so special.
Thank you for this fascinating video! I love the slow motion moments you have created and the stills you captured. It makes for a really good way to analyse the abilities of these incredible ballerinas! And thanks so much for crediting my channel in your description 😊🙏❤️
I enjoyed learning some of the details about fouettés; I learned a lot about the positions involved--and a lot went over my head. I agree, of course, that the "required" 32 puts athletics over artistry, but it is what it is. Balanchine objected to them, saying that the audience just begins counting instead of watching the dancing. I'm obsessed with a video of Sofiane Sylve completing a long string of fouettés with variants and ending with a jaw-dropping 6 rotations in perfect balance.
I’m obsessed with these videos of yours. This reminds me of double octave passages in piano repertoire. In the end, you can still be a stellar pianist and artist without being good at double octaves, but you’d miss out on some pretty fun repertoire.
Thanks! Interesting comparison to piano, something I don't know anything about.
Fouettes are a must. If a dancer doesnt do them it's like a doctor saying "oh I skipped residency".
Interesting analogy! Haven't heard that before.
Thanks for a fascinating and entertaining compilation. Some of these selections are mind-boggling. All are very good. I don't love fouettes and often find them boring to watch. But a well executed series can be thrilling. Here, I think Nunez is the absolute number 1. She's "on a dime" and hardly travels at all. Murphy and Semyonova were also excellent. Osipova's brilliance and control are very notable but I think the geometry of Nunez's fouettes is more beautiful.
I always look forward to seeing them done. I love the athleticism. My favorite from years ago was Cynthia Gregory. I always knew she would hit them spot on.
You’re my favorite ballet connoisseur on TH-cam! Thank you for all that you do!
Thanks so much!
Jekaterina Maximova!!!!!!
Thank you for putting out these videos. I adore the in depth technical analysis you provide.
Thanks!
My favorite is Tamara Rojo.
Dear Kent, phantastic selection of fouetté-variants. Also for showing the different technical approaches. Am grateful, as always, for your extraordinary videos. Blessings to you, manuela
Thanks!
Thank you for this wonderful informative video. Ballet is such a beautiful art. Fouettes should be a mandatory move since it exists, leaving it out would make the dancer an incomplete artist. Striving for perfection unobtainable is the true mark of a great artist! Dance on!!
Amazing explanation - slowing down video to appreciate the athleticism and the differences in techniques.
Thanks for tuning in!
Definetively I wait for the Fouettes
I love both fouette's and your videos. Thank you so much for your great clips and analyses. I am a fan!!!
Love all of your videos. 💜
Thank you, great dancers but, for me, Osipova wins hands down. Paired with Vasiliev they were unstoppable. 🩰🩰👵🇦🇺
So sad when they broke up and went to different companies. I treasure my copy of Flames of Paris because they do that pdd.
Yes, I imagine you would. Lucky 🩰🩰🩰👵👵🇦🇺🇦🇺
She is so amazing. She takes my breath away!
Wonderful work, thank you very much.
Love this!!
Really interesting analysis. I love the classic 32 fouettes in 'old school' Swan Lake. When my mum was at the Royal Ballet in London she could do 100 fouettes without moving from centre stage at all. Sadly, no video footage exists.
Thought we were gonna get the Copeland mess up 😆. I believe as you do. Although they don’t necessarily define an entire art it is part of the art as a whole and cemented in choreography so like them or not I do not believe they are going anywhere.
Very informative and interesting. Thanks. Personally, I love them. They are part of traditional ballet and add to the show.
absolutely amazing work! BRAVO
Io adoro i fouetté, anche se non sono il metro unico e principale nella valutazione di una ballerina. Magnifiche Maximova, Rojo e Osipova. Ma non dimentico la superba Sylvie Guillem con i suoi fouetté nel " gran pas classique".
Very educational to see back to back styles and freeze frames. It is a beautiful move at times and a painful one at times to watch depending on the dancer. I appreciate your gift of lexicon application to dance. I personally hate and love the turn. I loved it when i hit it and hated it when i didn't. Ultimately the turn elluded my abilities. I think my equilibrium was not able to create it. I'm still salty about the turn being a gatekeeper, but thats my ego. This footage does give me solice that dancers need to have some license to meet their body needs. Ending with smiles for the very committed women in this montage to manifest beautiful movements!!!!!! Thank you so much.
Thanks for your perspective on the step! As a guy I never did the step much and appreciate your experience.
There are certainly videos of Plisetskaya doing piles of pique turns instead of fouettes in the Black Swan coda {and you knew she was capable of the fouettes because she did them elsewhere. And look at Misty Copeland, whom I don't think has ever gotten near the full 32. So not a gatekeeper? Or typically a gatekeeper but there are exceptions?
Thank you for this video! Yes, I have to confess I always wait for fouettés and I love to see a clean performance. About 10 years ago a performer of Gamzatti at Semperoper Dresden stopped after about 6 shaky fouettés and I caught myself being disappointed. But otherwise her performance was impeccable, maybe there was something wrong with her shoe or she just had a bad day, so wth? After pondering I realized I’m not one of those people counting fouettés and I shouldn’t be judging a ballerina by her ability to do them. I am also happy with my most favorite ballet Raymonda where there are no fouettés at all.
World renowned principals in world class companies are just expected to “pull off” the fouettés , and as difficult as they are , the vast, vast majority do exactly this. Ballet has evolved to be artistry and athleticism. And as you pointed out, and as has been seen in performances, the ballerinas who cannot meet the fouetté “requirement” also has issues with technique issues.
Awesome video!! I have to say I appreciate Osipova's innovation, but her fouettes are not that pretty as it appears she never gets full extension -- just my personal preference :-)
I appreciate her other skills but her fouettés don’t seem to measure up to her other talents, at least for me
Ma scherziamo? Osipova la migliore. Nessuna come lei
The viewer gets so used to them that it’s a good time to get up and get more wine during a routine set of them. However, a bad set of fouettés with traveling is like a train wreck. You can’t look away. BTW, you may have missed the black swan fouettés done by Carrie Imler of Pacific Northwest Ballet. Her notable innovation is her hand positions that make her look like she’s saying “I am the QUEEN”. I suspect that it slows her down a bit and she ends up traveling towards the end (who doesn’t?) but the overall effect, sprinkled with pirouettes, is very fun to watch. (The fact that she has the most insanely fast chaine step afterwards in the same clip is awe inspiring.
Thanks! Will check out Carrie's turns.
My favorite is Tiler Peck of the NC Ballet❤
You should search some Nino Aniniashvili videos, she could do whatever she wanted, it's a perfect match of raw athletics and pure artisticallity
I adored your video. I think in the traditional 32 single fouetté sections of Swan Lake, Don Quixote, etc. the fourttes should stay s
The fouettés should stay single. Ballerinas can change turn choreography and other sections a modern and different ballets.
Thanks!
Ирина Колесникова из театра Тачкина делает безупречно все 32!
tasha's fouettes is 😍
🥰
I really enjoyed this video and the analysis. Here are some of my favorites: Ana Sophia Scheller 17 consecutive doubles and triples (th-cam.com/video/Z71ArpPHgZE/w-d-xo.html); Misa Kuranaga with 11 consecutive doubles (th-cam.com/video/JDrAJVIuYOk/w-d-xo.html); Tiler Peck with a series of consecutive doubles in second position (th-cam.com/video/kLItrFI7k_w/w-d-xo.html); and Tiler with a pretty arm variation (th-cam.com/video/sQeCVBdjw9w/w-d-xo.html)
Luna must silvery glow. Sol doth radiant warmth flow. Swan Lake is not without fouette and Christmas trees amazingly grow.
I enjoy fouettes for both their athleticism and their artistry. All the same, I don't think they are the be all/end all criterion for being a prima ballerina. It's seldom that everyone is good at everything.
Yuriko Kajiya does not turn in euclidean space🖤.
What???? no fouettés in ballet??? I'll ask my children to dance for me, they are very musical and expressive.
Who is Don Kiore? 😳
to me copeland is a mediocre dancer who simply can't do fouettés well, thus complains they aren't needed. glad you mentioned her.
agree the worst dancer in the planet
Екатерина Максимова!
the foot is not straight its supposed to be on point as always
I’ve watched this several times as I think it’s great. But, I don’t mean to be rude here and I’ll likely get shot down in flames but Misty Copeland is not that great a dancer. Just my opinion. I’ve seen her in several things and it’s just not there. Don’t think I’m picking on her, there’s a couple of Russian ones who are not great either. And, you’re right. Couldn’t do it myself ( my mum could do) st all but I know what I like - and what is good 🩰🩰🩰🩰👵🇦🇺
but the signs don't let 9ne see the dance!!!!
Are you referring to the captions? They can be turned off in the settings of the video.
@@KentGBecker Thank you!
Very informative, but the commentator sounded bored to death.
Hahahaha..yes, the timbre of her voice voice is very unfortunate
Copeland called the fouettes in Swan Lake "mad tricks".
I'm sorry, I do not like her.
She's not prima.
Another instant saw her run over to her partner, and he boosted her up like she was mounting a horse.
I cringed for him.
Misty Copeland should not be compared to the rest of these ballerinas. She is at an elementary level in comparison to them
Just my humble opinion as a 65 year old challenged dancer of 50 years - It looks odd when she doesn’t even straighten her working leg to the front. I think I’ve probably done 4 half-way decent fouettés in my early life. 🦦🙃