Prince Ivan’s costume, inspired by Tzar Nicholas’s Winter Palace Gala robe, is reinterpreted as a traditional hunting suit. In contrast to this realism, the airy lightness of the Firebird’s costume (in tule, chiffon, and feathers) reveals her ethereal identity as the soul of Imperial Russia.
Designs for the Princesses were inspired by Faberge's Imperial Eggs - symbols of fertility and opulence. Crown, sleeve, and bodice designs incorporate regalia from the final Winter Palace Ball, held in 1908.
Dame Margot Fonteyn
Les Sylphides,
1950
The traditional "dance dress" or romantic tutu was selected to link the Princesses to old world Russia. Their tutus are embellished with traditional Russian mandala motifs.
Koschei and His Minions
The evil Koschei wears a towering headdress and royal purple tunic, enlarging his stature and making him a formidable opponent to Prince Ivan.
Koschei's minions (conceived as land, air, and sea creatures) are designed as life-size bunraku puppets. Their sectioned body pieces break apart and envelope Prince Ivan in a swarm of chaos during the mortal combat.
Bunraku puppet and puppeteers from
Alice in Wonderland
The Evil Sorcerer Koschei
