Dying Swan
Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova in The Swan by Mikhail Fokine, Berlin 1908.
QUICK F A C T S
- ✦ The legendary solo dance was choreographed by Michel Fokine for ballerina Anna Pavlova and premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1905.
✦ The short four-minute ballet is set to Le Cygne (“The Swan”) by Camille Saint-Saëns.
✦ Anna Pavlova performed The Dying Swan more than 4,000 times throughout her international career.
✦ Although The Dying Swan was inspired by the swan imagery of Swan Lake, its emotional choreography later influenced how many ballerinas portrayed Odette, the Swan Queen.
✦ In 2020, Misty Copeland organized the Swans for Relief project, where 32 ballerinas from 14 countries filmed themselves performing the solo from home to raise money for struggling artists during the COVID-19 pandemic.
✦ Beyond Pavlova, the solo became closely associated with legendary dancers such as Maya Plisetskaya, Natalia Makarova, and Misty Copeland.
Olga Sapphire, "The Dying Swan". Tokyo. 1936-1937. Photo by Tomonori Arita.
S U M M A R Y
The Dying Swan is one of the most famous solo dances in ballet history. Choreographed by Michel Fokine for legendary ballerina Anna Pavlova, the short ballet premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1905. Set to Le Cygne (“The Swan”) by Camille Saint-Saëns, the dance lasts only a few minutes but became one of the most emotionally recognizable performances ever created. Pavlova performed the solo more than 4,000 times throughout her career, helping transform it into an international symbol of ballet itself.
Iryna Romanovska in dying swan, 2023.
Tina Pereira, Swans for Relief 2020.
The ballet portrays the final moments of a dying swan through delicate footwork, trembling movement, and expressive arm motions that imitate wings. Although many people connect the ballet to Swan Lake, the timeline is often misunderstood. Swan Lake and the character of Odette already existed decades before The Dying Swan was created. Instead, Fokine’s ballet was inspired by the swan imagery and emotional atmosphere of Swan Lake. Over time, however, The Dying Swan became so influential that its flowing “swan arms” later shaped how many ballerinas portrayed Odette in modern productions.
More than a century after its premiere, The Dying Swan continues influencing ballet culture around the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Misty Copeland organized the global Swans for Relief project, bringing together ballerinas from multiple countries who filmed themselves performing the solo from home while theaters were shut down. The project raised money to help dancers struggling during the pandemic and showed how this tiny four-minute ballet still carried enormous emotional power in the modern world.
Portrait of Alicia Markova, "The Dying Swan" 1948
E N C O R E
✦ On Today’s Stage
The Dying Swan remains one of the most famous solo performances in ballet history, regularly danced in galas, competitions, documentaries, and tribute performances around the world.
✦ Iconic Interpreters
The solo became forever associated with Anna Pavlova, whose emotional interpretation made the ballet legendary. Later dancers such as Maya Plisetskaya, Natalia Makarova, and Misty Copeland helped carry the role into new generations.
✦ Legacy
Created by Michel Fokine in 1905 to music by Camille Saint-Saëns, The Dying Swan became one of ballet’s most enduring symbols of beauty, fragility, emotion, and artistic expression.