“Le Cygne” otherwise known as “The Dying Swan” is a solo ballet originally choreographed by Mikhail Fokine that is one of the most influential pieces of work in the history of Ballet. The piece was originally performed by Anna Polova in 1905, and while it has been interpreted many times no performer has ever been able to capture the same elegance of dancing on the mortal coil as Polova. Set to the music of “Le Cygne (The Swan)” from the Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens the purpose of this 4-minute ballet is to showcase the intertwining of beings on the mortal coil through examining the final dying breathe of a swan, implicating the fragility of life.
In 1925 Polova performed “The Dying Swan” again this time on camera in what was originally a silent film. Despite the technical nuances of the film being nearly a century old the movie still managed to capture Polova’s otherworldly performance. Nobody was more dedicated to the piece than Polova who ended up making this ballet her pièce d’occasion performing the ballet nearly 4,000 times in her lifetime. It is even said by Polova’s husband Victor Dandrè that Polova’s final words were “Get my swan costume ready” as she lay on her deathbed.
Polova was undoubtedly a swan in human skin spreading her wings and rippling the waters of inspiration for the many Ballerina’s who followed. The swan itself has always been a symbol of elegance and gracefulness in ballet. Due to this “The Dying Swan” is often mistaken as part of Tchikovsky’s “Swan Lake” despite “The Dying Swan” being a completely separate piece of work. That being said there is some correlation as Camille Saint-Saens the composer of the music used in “The Dying Swan” and Tchaikovsky the composer of “Swan Lake” were friends during their lifetimes and took inspiration from each other on many occasions. Interestingly enough the dying swan is often used as an inspiration for performers who are crafting their take on Odette, one of the main characters in The “Swan Lake” Ballet.
Regardless of Polova’s undoubtedly dominating performance that shaped the culture of Ballet, many other ballerinas have delivered stellar renditions of “The Dying Swan”. Listed below are some of the most notable performances:
Natalia Osipova delivered a raw emotional rendition of “The Dying Swan” in 2020 for The Royal Ballet’s livestream with The Golden Hour. What makes Oipova’s rendition of “The Dying Swan is that she uses brute feelings to create a tragic emotional tale of one who is still trying to hold on. Osipova has a more animated style where she smoothly contrasts her movements with a lot of sharper motions when performing the piece.
Maya Plisetskaya is a flawless performer of “The Dying Swan”. As an artist, Plisetskaya was known for pushing boundaries with her stage presence and experimenting with her art. Due to this Plisetskaya’s performance delivers some chilling moments that showcase the fragility of life.
Svetlana Zakharova similar to Plisetskaya delivers an impeccable rendition of “The Dying Swan” which is my personal favorite of the modern-day performances. Zakharova moves effortlessly across the stage like a feather falling from the sky. The entire piece when Zakhavora performs it, feels like a singular finale exhalation of breath.
While modern-day renditions of “The Dying Swan” are immaculate no one holds a candle to the swan herself Anna Polova. Polova’s original interpretation of the piece finds perfection in the imperfections that are used to articulate her subtle and verklempt movements. It is even said the Polova went as far as studying the movement of swans just to try and emulate their levity. Overall, “The Dying Swan” is a solo ballet that shaped the history of ballet and due to her immense devotion to her art Polova has cemented herself as the pinnacle performer of “The Dying Swan”.
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I don't know that I have anything to add that your peers haven't expressed. This was such a thoughtful and interesting review of something a lot of us didn't know much about!
I really enjoyed reading your piece. I do not know much about dance or ballet, but your writing style alone had me intrigued the whole post. Ballet is a beautiful art form and I am glad to have learned more about it from your article.
Wow! I really love dancing a grew up loving and hating ballet but it is so beautiful. Your work was also amazing and very emotional to read. I really enjoyed learning about dance through your post. Thank you
I don't know much about ballet so I didn't expect to get so emotional about this post, haha. The Zakharova video you linked is so moving and expressive. The comments there are filled with people who are touched by this piece like you are, and it's fascinating to find out that this piece has been making people feel that way for over a hundred years. Thank you for sharing!
It’s interesting that the dance is set to the tune of a song by Camille Saint-Saens. I’m somewhat familiar with other compositions by Camille such as the “Danse Macabre”, another song about death, and I can think of no other composer that would better exemplify the tragic emotion being portrayed by this ballet.