To Fouetté, or Not to Fouetté, That is the Question

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. 

When I go to see Swan Lake, I want to be moved to tears. I want an emotional response. Sometimes crazy fouettés bring out an emotional response, but often times it is the artistry of the performer that takes the performance to the next level.

As much as we try to seek perfection as ballerinas we know it isn't possible. Mistakes happen. For me, it is more exciting to watch a ballerina go for broke on the stage, then to watch something safe. Misty went for it. And when she failed, she recovered with the grace of a true professional. 

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.  

Summer Ballet Fix

So knowing that ballet is quite scarce during the summer in New York City due to most New Yorkers traveling to the Hamptons and what not, I thought I would use this post to help you with your summer ballet fix.

I want to give you books to read, movies to watch, and even some performances to see, all related to our favorite subject. Let us first start with performances, although they may be scarce, there are some pretty great things happening this summer in New York:

• ABT is still at the Met for another two weeks! 
• One of the best things about their spring season is that it extends into early July, filling the void after the seasonal depression left by New York City Ballet's summer layoff. This week they are performing Don Quixote, and then Whipped Cream by Alexei Ratmansky the following week, to finish their season. 
• The Ballet Festival at the Joyce is being held between today (June 26th) through July 7th
• There are some pretty big names headlining this festival like two former Miami City Ballet principals (Carlos Guerra and Jennifer Kronenberg) bringing new works, Joshua Beamish's ensemble MOVETHECOMPANY, and the Ashely Bouder Project founded by Ashley Bouder herself featuring themes of diversity and feminism. I personally love the intimate space that is the Joyce, and might attend a few of these performances myself. 
• Dorrance Dance, founded by Michelle Dorrance
• This group of hoofers, will be performing on June 28th for a FREE outdoor show at the Prospect Park Bandshell. I know she is a tapper and not a ballet dancer, but she has risen to fame and notoriety through the Vail Dance Festival, and has famously worked with huge ballet names like Tiler Peck. It's too good to pass up.

If none of those dates work for you, here are some films that you can pull up on Netflix or iTunes (or maybe even on an airplane):

• Ballet 422
• Since Justin Peck just won a Tony award for his choreography in the revival of Carousel on Broadway (which is also a good show to see), I thought it fitting to recommend this documentary featuring a behind the scenes glimpse into his creation of New York City Ballet's 422nd ballet. 
• Wendy Whelan: Restless Creature
• This film follows Wendy Whelan in her final days as a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. It also chronicles her struggle with hip surgery and rehabilitation. On a more personal note, I cried multiple times throughout the film. It is both inspiring and a little sad. I also hear it's featured as one of Delta's in flight movies, so you can watch it on your way to vacation or summer programs. 
• Misty Copeland's A Ballerina's Tale
• This is another must see documentary that follows Misty's struggle with injury and also her plight as a female black ballet dancer. I personally haven't seen it, but it is on my summer to do list.
• Center Stage
• Because this movie is the greatest and never needs an introduction and should be watched at least once a year. 

Finally here are some recent ballet books I have been reading or will read this summer:

• Dancing on My Grave
• As I mentioned in a previous post, I finally read Gelsey Kirkland's autobiography. You can find everything in this book, from gossip about former famous principal dancers to her struggle with eating disorders and drugs. It is a cautionary tale, and also a fabulous beach read. 
• Any book by Lincoln Kirstein
• Stop now if you want an easy read, because you are not going to find it with this author. As one of the forefathers of ballet in America, Lincoln has an extreme wealth of knowledge due to his obsession with this fine art, and his privileged upbringing. It took me forever to get through one of his books, because I had to look up almost every art reference, but I feel better for it. 
• Brenda Dixon Gottschild's The Black Dancing Body
• This book is on my current reading list. She is one of the leading experts in the African American presence in European concert dance culture. It is a necessary read for anybody in the ballet world, because we need to enter into this dialogue with her and with others in our field about diversity and inclusion in the ballet world. 

Well I think that is enough for now, looks like we are going to have our hands full this summer. I know I personally will be doing a few of these things on this list, but I hope you all do too.