Check out my latest YouTube video on fouettés from great Ukrainian dancers. My favorite choreographer Alexei Ratmansky posted a video on his Instagram and YouTube channels of five Ukrainian ballerinas in honor of the 2024 International Women’s Day. The five dancers (Valentyna Kalinovska, Iraida Lukashova, Tetyana Tayakina, Ludmila Smorgacheva, and Olena Filipyeva) perform a turn series of fouettés, a prominent step viewed by some as the ultimate test of a ballerina. The series is prominent in such ballets as Don Quixote and Swan Lake. The dancers from previous eras display a high degree of athleticism and technique, dispelling the notion that razzle-dazzle is a recent phenomenon. This video provides a biography of these great Ukrainian dancers with a technical breakdown of their turns. Check it out!