Tamara Karsavina Interviewed about the Ballets Russes, ’Ondine’ And ’The Firebird’

In these sections from a 1968 interview, Tamara Karsavina firstly talks in general of Serge de Diaghilev, the challenges of travelling with the Ballets Russes and the excitement of creating so many different roles it was like, as she puts it, ‘living different lives’. The ballerina then goes on to reflect on her performances at the Mariinsky Theatre in ‘Ondine’ and amusingly tells of having some fun (‘joy rides’) after rehearsals with the machinery that let her ‘fly’ in the ballet, an experience she describes as ‘exhilarating’. There was an understudy for this moment in the ballet but Karsavina insisted on doing it herself. Finally Karsavina speaks about ‘The Firebird’ (‘L’Oiseau de Feu’) and makes the curious comment “Nijinsky and I danced the pas de deux out of ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ … Diaghilev renamed it ‘Firebird’ and reversed the parts: Nijinsky became the prince, I the Firebird”. I’m not sure how to interpret this. Has anyone a sense of the connection mentioned here between the two bal