Check out my latest YouTube video on Fouettés. A fouetté is a ballet term referencing a whipping movement. Grant (Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet) lists 19 fouetté variants, but the most popular and attention grabbing is called a fouetté 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 fouettés in the broader context of ballet.
