The Firebirds

One thing that I love about the Firebird is that she is the hero,” said Catherine Hurlin, a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, in a Zoom interview on a snowy February morning. “She is the weapon. She is the savior. She's the most powerful character in the whole ballet.”

Natalia Osipova in “The Firebird” by Alexei Ratmansky. Photograph by Gene Schiavone

Chloe Misseldine, also a principal dancer with ABT, said, “She’s very strong. She’s taking care of her flock, making sure that they're safe. In the first encounter with Ivan, she does this—you can’t really see it,” she leaned toward the computer screen, lifting her elbows out behind her, “but she kind of blocks herself, and then she blocks everybody behind her, showing him, “Don’t touch them! Don’t interfere.”

When I spoke with all three dancers—Hurlin, Fleytoux, and Misseldine—they were preparing to debut the title role in Alexei Ratmansky’s one-act ballet “The Firebird,” which ABT will perform in March for the first time since 2018.

The First Firebirds

Even those who don’t know much about ballet know something about “The Firebird.” The images are everywhere, embedded in our pop culture: the bird-like woman dressed in red, the feathery headdress, the Russian vibe.

The world premiere of the original “The Firebird” (L’Oiseau de feu) was performed by Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes on June 25, 1910, at the Théâtre National de l'Opéra in Paris. The libretto, based on Russian folklore gathered by Alexander Afanasyev, and choreography were by Michel Fokine, the Russian choreographer considered the father of modern ballet. The musical score was composed by a 28-year-old, relatively unknown Russian composer who was a student of the great Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Igor Stravinsky. The sets were designed by Aleksandr Golovin and the costumes by Léon Bakst.

The ballet was an immediate sensation. Audiences loved its over-the-top “Russianness” (then very much in vogue in Paris), and critics loved the complex music and opulent designs. It was revolutionary not only for its modern sensibilities, but also because its lead female character—intended to be danced by the great Anna Pavlova, but she found the score unbearable, so it was performed by the also great Tamara Karsavina—was not the usual lead female character. She wasn’t a princess or a fairy, she didn’t die at the end, and she wasn’t graceful. She even wore pants!

In the English ballerina Margot Fonteyn’s autobiography, she wrote that when Karsavina coached her for a 1954 revival of the ballet at the Sadler’s Wells Ballet, she gave Fonteyn the advice that Fokine had given her: “Forget your graces. The Firebird is powerful, hard to manage, rebellious. Here is no human emotion.”

The ballet was first revived by the Ballet Russes in 1926 with new settings and costumes (this Firebird, Felia Doubrovska, wore a tutu). And in 1935, the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo revived the Ballet Russes’ 1926 production.

Since then, many companies around the world have performed Fokine’s ballet, the Sadler‘s Wells 1954 revival staged by former Ballets Russes dancers Serge Grigoriev and Lubov Tchernicheva and coached by Karsavina perhaps the closest to the original.

And many companies have taken on the ballet and made it their own, veering from Fokine’s choreography and occasionally his plot. The most well-known example of this is George Balanchine’s “Firebird” which he created in 1949 for the fledgling New York City Ballet, with a truncated musical score, simplified narrative, and neoclassical choreography. His first Firebird—Maria Tallchief—was exquisite. In 1970, he created a new production for Gelsey Kirkland which included new sets and costumes based on Marc Chagall’s originals and some choreography by Jerome Robbins (this is the production that is still part of their repertory).

Chloe Misseldine in “The Firebird” by Alexei Ratmansky. Photograph by Quinn Wharton

“The Firebird” at ABT

ABT, when it was still known as Ballet Theatre, first performed “The Firebird” in 1945. This production was choreographed by Adolph Bolm and featured Alicia Markova as the title role. In 1977, Christopher Newton restaged Fokine’s choreography for the company’s second production, with Natalia Makarova as its Firebird. And in a 1992 revival, Christine Dunham was the Firebird.

So Ratmansky’s version, which first premiered in 2012, was the company’s fourth production of the ballet. Co-commissioned with Dutch National Ballet, it features surreal scenery by Simon Pastukh and eccentric costumes by Galina Solovyeva (The Firebird is back in pants! If you can call a unitard pants). Ratmansky, born in St. Petersburg and trained at the Bolshoi Ballet School in Moscow, was ABT’s artist in residence from 2009 to 2023. This was his fifth creation for the company. He took liberties with the plot—most notably adding in a flock of male and female firebirds and changing the ending—and inserted a witty darkness that is, to be fair, very Russian. But this is not about his choreography. It’s about his birds.

In 2012, Natalia Osipova, Isabella Boylston, and Misty Copeland danced the role of Firebird. Boylston and Copeland were still soloists with ABT at the time (though they were both promoted to principals a few years later), and Osipova was a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet and a guest artist with ABT. When the ballet was performed in 2016 and 2018, the Firebirds were Boylston, Copeland, Christine Shevchenko, and Devon Teuscher.

Chloe Misseldine in “The Firebird” by Alexei Ratmansky. Photograph by Quinn Wharton

ABT’s New Firebirds

ABT’s Firebirds of 2026 are all wonderfully different. Hurlin, nicknamed “Hurricane,” is known for her powerful, athletic dancing. Fleytoux, born in Vietnam and raised in Paris, is the shortest of the birds at 5'2" and is praised for her delicate, precise yet soft style. Misseldine, the youngest and tallest at 5'9", has caught everyone’s eye due to her elegant musicality and beautiful lines. This is the joy of the Firebird—she can take many forms.

The three dancers learned the choreography together from Nancy Raffa, ABT’s Director of Repertoire, whom they all adore. Hurlin called her a “spitfire with all the information,” and Fleytoux and Misseldine said they appreciated that Raffa has let them make the character their own. “She is guiding us on how we want to portray it, because each Firebird is individual,” Misseldine said. Fleytoux added, “And she pushes me to do things that I'm not always comfortable with, which I like.” While the interpretations will no doubt be different, all three agree that, in general, Firebird’s quality of movement is sharp, animalistic, and creature-like. “It’s so… Ratmansky,” Hurlin said.

Since learning the choreography, their ways of preparing for the role have been as different as their performance styles. Hurlin danced the Maiden in the last run of “The Firebird,” so already knows the ballet well. For her, it’s all about being in the studio and tinkering with the story through the movement, understanding it in her body. Fleytoux, a fan of research, watched online excerpts from the Russian versions and read all she could about the folklore. She’s been focusing on moving less like a person and more like a bird. “Like a real bird in real life.” Misseldine also conducted research, watching Nina Ananiashvili’s and Diana Vishneva’s performances online, even though their choreography is very different. “The intensity, though, is the same,” she said. But much of her work has taken place outside the studio. “I’ve been searching within myself. I look in the mirror at home and find different positions that look good on me or might not look good on me.” She also said she and her Ivan (Jarod Curley) have been working hard to get their duets right. “He's a very good partner. Very strong, very diligent, and hard-working, so it’s been very enjoyable to be in the studio with him.”

Hurlin’s Ivan (Daniel Camargo) is very cerebral, trying to figure out why his character does what he does and how to best portray the narrative’s dynamics. Fleytoux has never partnered with her Ivan (Calvin Royal III) before, but said it’s going well. “He’s very sensitive and reacts to what I do, which I find really helpful.”

When asked about the role’s biggest challenges, all three mentioned stamina. “I have to go a thousand per cent at the very beginning and try to maintain that energy throughout the rest of the ballet,” Hurlin said. “The beginning is really heard, stamina-wise.” Fleytoux agreed, explaining that they begin with a very difficult variation, get a 15-second break, then return for about six minutes without stopping. The pas de deux with Ivan, Misseldine mentioned, is also challenging. “It’s very difficutl partnering. A lot of running, and you have to stay fully energized and in the moment the whole time.”

Also, the tail. They all mentioned their struggles with long costume piece, which slows down their turns by catching air, and smacks their partners in the face. Hurlin said, “It’s like a parachute behind you!”

Their favorite parts of the performance, though, were different. Hurlin’s is the quartet at the end where everything seems to be going in slow motion. “Ratmansky said it’s supposed to be like movement underwater, and it's supposed to convey the dynamic between the four main characters—Firebird, the Maiden, Ivan, and Kaschei. It’s like slow-motion fighting, which is cool.” Fleytoux likes the en-pointe slides, which she’s never done on stage but is enjoying. Mousselines said, “I love everything about it. I love all the steps. They're really fascinating. They’re very different.” But she particularly likes the second solo, which includes those slides and “a lot of running and whacking your leg. It’s really fun.” A sense of fun and pure excitement beamed out from them all.

Throughout its 116-year history, one thing stands out about “The Firebird” ballet, in all its variations: it seems to bring good luck. Like the Firebird giving Ivan her feather for protection, the ballet has bestowed success on its creators and performers. It helped secure Fokine’s reputation as a modern choreographer, Stravinsky’s as one of the most important composers of the twentieth century, and Karsavina’s fame worldwide. Later, it did the same for Balanchine as a young neoclassical choreographer and Tallchief as American’s first real prima ballerina, and for the Firebirds who came after her at NYCB. Ratmansky’s Firebirds–Boylston, Copeland, Osipova, Teuscher, and Shevchenko–have had great success, and the same will happen, I do believe, for our newest Firebirds.

“The Firebird” will be at the David H. Koch Theater in New York City from March 13-21, 2026.

Caedra Scott-Flaherty

Caedra Scott-Flaherty is a freelance journalist based in New York. A former dancer and choreographer, she writes about dance for Observer, Pointe Magazine, Dance Teacher, and The Brooklyn Rail, among other publications. She received a B.A. in American Studies from Brown University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from New York University. Her short stories, essays, and poems have appeared in The Rumpus, New England Review, One Story, and elsewhere. She has been awarded grants from Millay Arts, the Brooklyn Arts Council, and the Murphy Writing Program at Stockton University.

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