Tamara Karsavina was the first to play the Firebird, replacing Anna Pavlova whom had fallen out with Diaghilev and left the Ballets Russes.
Karsavina and Adolph Bolm in 1911
Leon Bakst designed the costumes.
Anna Pavlova as the Firebird from the Mariinsky Archive.
Lydia Lopokova in the Firebird in 1919
Valentina Blinova as the Firebird with the Ballets Russes in Sydney, 1936
Helene Kirsova, Ballets Russes Sydney 1936
Maria Tallchief in 1946 with New York City Ballet
The Original Production was revived in the 1960s in Moscow by the Bolshoi. Here the Firebird is played by Maya Plisetskaya.
Margot Fonteyn as the Firebird in 1956
Irma Nioradze from The Mariinsky
Leanne Benjamin from The Royal Ballet
Maria Koppers 2011
Edna Vida in Ballet Phillipines in the 1980s
Kirov Firebird
Nina Ananiashvili and Andris Liepa
Ekaterina Kondaurova and Ilya Kuznetsov in Firebird pas de deux
Ramon Flowers of the Bejart Ballet of Lausanne
Comments
Margot’s costume is my favourite, but maybe that’s just me being biased! I saw a production by the Australian Ballet recently and the Firebird’s costume in that was just weird.
The Australian Ballet are meant to be just superb. I always young Australian dancers in the Prix De Lausanne who are spectacular. Thanks for reminding me Marisa- must post something about them. Looking forward to reading your site, best Shelley
Thank you so much for this compilation. My daughter will be dancing as the firebird and I am making her costume. I was looking for inspiration and also historical photos for guidance. This is very helpful.