The Dying Swan

The Dying Swan is a short solo dance choreographed by Michel Fokine in 1905 to Camille Saint-Saëns’s “The Swan.” It portrays a swan’s final struggle through expressive, continuous movement.

The Swan (Saint-Saëns): A cello solo from Camille Saint-Saëns’s Carnival of the Animals, accompanied by two pianos. Fokine built the dance around this music’s sustained cello melody.
Michel Fokine: A Russian choreographer who helped reform classical ballet in the early twentieth century. He created the solo in 1905 for Anna Pavlova.
Maya Plisetskaya: A Soviet ballet dancer renowned for her artistry and long career with the Bolshoi Ballet. Her performances offered a celebrated interpretation distinct from Pavlova’s.
Sergei Diaghilev: A Russian impresario who founded the Ballets Russes and shaped modern ballet in Europe. Pavlova’s success with the solo formed part of the ballet culture Diaghilev later transformed.
Ballet blanc: A ballet convention featuring dancers in white costumes, often in ethereal or supernatural roles. The white tutu connects the solo to ballet’s tradition of idealized, otherworldly women.
Anna Pavlova: A Russian prima ballerina celebrated internationally for her classical roles and touring performances. Her performance established the solo’s association with a single, intensely expressive ballerina.
Margot Fonteyn: A British ballerina who was a leading dancer of the Royal Ballet for decades. Her filmed performance preserves one influential mid-century interpretation.
Ballets Russes: A celebrated ballet company founded by Sergei Diaghilev that toured Europe from 1909 to 1929. The company’s modernist experiments provide a contrasting legacy to the solo’s enduring repertory life.
Pointe technique: A ballet technique in which dancers support their weight on the tips of their toes using pointe shoes. Rapid, delicate footwork helps suggest the swan’s trembling motion.
Camille Saint-Saëns: A French composer whose works include the orchestral suite Carnival of the Animals. His cello piece supplied the dance’s music.

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