The fouetté twist came into rhythmic gymnastics from ballet. Its name comes from the French “fouetter” meaning “to whip.” In the classic fouetté, the free leg really does resemble a whip, as it sharply straightens and bends in the air.
In gymnastics, there are different ways of performing the fouetté: in a passé, with a straight leg in a horizontal position, or a split with the hands in different directions. You can even perform a fouetté in attitude. The more complex the shape, the higher the cost of the element.
The one thing all types of fouetté have in common is a series of two-phase rotations, when the gymnast alternates rotating in the chosen form and sitting in a plié with her leg to the side. Before the next turn, the working leg can draw a circle in the air, doing a la ronde de jamme enlever - another movement from classical choreography. If a gymnast performs a spin in a split, then an additional leg swing is not needed. The plié is performed in the same form as the turn itself.
There can be more than one 360-degree rotation between the plies. Gymnasts try to use the power of their swing to the maximum and perform two, three, and sometimes more rotations in one program. That is how Vladislava Sharonova, a participant of the Sky Grace -2022 tournament, often performs a series of double fouettés with her leg in a side split.
The forms in a fouetté can also be combined, the element will be considered one body difficulty. For example, the Sky Grace-2022 tournament participant Mariia Borisova first doesseveral fouettés with a straight leg in a horizontal position, then pushes herself up several turns in a passe, and after that performs a fouetté with a leg in a side split.