merry christmas im about to be SO annoying about the nutcracker

the famous fouettés of swan lake

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featured above is chloe misseldine, prima ballerina of american ballet theatre, as odile in ‘swan lake’.

the thirty-two fouettés in swan lake, and the embodiment of odette and odile as a whole are considered a stepping stone into a ballerina’s career as a prima. a debut is ultimately a test, a deciding factor in whether a company decides to promote a dancer or leave her alone. the fouettés of odile are difficult, requiring much strength, stamina, and training, performed during the coda after a lengthy pas de deux and variation. the legendary pierina legnani was the first ballerina to accomplish this feat in 1895, the fouettés being added just for her by choreographer marius petipa.

misseldine is the most recent ballerina to join the ranks of principal in the company: her promotion was on july 3rd, 2024, after her performance of odette/odile at the metropolitan opera house in manhattan, new york.

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footage sourced from @juliette_2626’s story on instagram, july 3rd, 2024, the met opera.

swan lake (1957)

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maya plisetskaya, prima ballerina of the bolshoi ballet, as odette, the swan princess

dir. by zoya tulubyeva, choreo. by aleksander gorsky

a visit to the metropolitan museum of art, new york city

1: boiserie from the hôtel lauzun, ca. 1770

2: various 17th century spanish glasswares

3: the rehearsal of the ballet onstage, edgar degas, ca. 1874