At its premiere in 1913, Igor Stravinsky and Vaslav Nijinsky’s Rite of Spring shocked audiences and divided critics. The ballet centred around a straightforward yet brutal narrative – a community selects a sacrificial victim, a virgin who will be martyred to their fertility god to secure a good harvest. The plot, however, was not what scandalised Parisian theatregoers.
Every aspect of the performance transgressed western classical traditions. Stravinsky’s score re-imagined Russian folk music through a complex web of harmonies and constantly changing tempo. Nijinsky’s choreography abandoned ballet technique – his dancers had turned-in feet, curved spines and performed percussive stomps. And Nikolai Roerich’s set and costume designs were influenced by the folk art of Central Asia.
The ballet became a symbol of modernity, a bold vision of the future that was steeped in a global heritage.
