Ah the famous 32 fouetté turns in Swan Lake. It is one of the most difficult turning sequences a ballerina must complete in the extremely coveted role of the black swan, Odile. Recently, these turns sparked a heated debate in the ballet world. This debate focused specifically on ABT principal dancer, Misty Copeland, and whether or not she should dance the role of Odette/Odile.
The social media debate began when a video of her failing to complete the consecutive turns, as choreographed, went viral.
Misty Copeland and partner Herman Cornejo in ABT's Swan Lake
The question raised is, should a ballerina be allowed to perform this part, if they are unable to do the consecutive fouettés?
It is every young ballerina's dream to dance the lead role in Swan Lake. However, most are not up to the task because of the technical nature of the role and also the level of artistry needed to deliver such a complex part.
Most ballerinas are either a black swan or a white swan. It takes a true artist and technician to deliver the two contrasting parts with great success. The white swan involves slow controlled movements, with plenty of romance and vulnerability. The black swan is the opposite of the white swan. She is the seductress, and requires a fiery flirty disposition with a lot of technique to complete the turns required for the part.
It is quite rare for a ballerina to posses both sides of this creature. It is also equally rare to find ballerinas who are able to complete the 32 fouettés. Especially during the third act, when they are exhausted both physically and emotionally after the white swan in act two.
Also, I have seen ballerinas who execute the turns perfectly in rehearsal, and then go onstage and mess up the fouetté turns during the performance. The turns require superhuman strength in that left supporting leg. Dancers watching backstage in the wings are always on edge when watching these turns. They either end up in cheers, or turn away wincing at the sight of failure.
According to multiple sources, Misty Copeland has always had extreme difficulty with these turns. Therefore, after watching the above video, people started commenting on both YouTube and Twitter. The comment that caught Misty Copeland's attention was by Henrietta (@miss_hokie). She called Misty the "WORST" and an embarrassment to ABT.
Misty clapped back with the most eloquent statement. Here is just a selection below:
As a black woman and as a ballerina given the chance to take on this role. I often question if I deserve to perform this role. My conclusion, I do. Some of the most memorable Swan Queens in history have brought so much more to this role without having to present the incredible and evolved technique of today by doing insane tricks that bring some to see Swan Lake. For the anticipated 32 fouettés. But it is so much more than that.
I completely agree with her. The role is so much more than those 32 fouettés. I know that as an audience member myself, I would rather see a moving performance than something that is basic and boring, but technically proficient.
Fouettés aren't the end all be all of that part. Many famous former ballerinas like Anna Pavlova, Alicia Markova, and Alexandra Danilova avoided them and did another step entirely. Those ballerinas were amazing artists and I am sure their performances did not suffer because of it.
Therefore, I believe that the answer to the above question is that ballerinas should be allowed to perform the role even if there are not technically proficient in the fouetté turns. However, they must be able to deliver an emotional response. They must also possess the artistry required to perform both Odette and Odile. That is even harder to find nowadays.
Keep going Misty, I am rooting for you. I am also grateful for everything you have done so far for this art form.
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