‘The Rite of Spring’ is an archaic Slavic ritual ballet in which a young maiden dances herself to death to ensure the return of spring.
This year was the centenary of the ‘The Rite of Spring’ originally created for the Ballets Russes by Russian choreographer of Polish descent Vaslav Nijinsky in 1913 with a score by Igor Stavinsky and designs by Nicholas Roerich.
The Final Struggle’, part of London-based artist Shira Klasmer’s latest artwork, depicts scenes from the renowned ballet ‘The Rite of Spring’ (Le Sacre du Printemps), which she photographed live in the Hodson-Archer reconstruction by the Polish National Ballet at the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw, April 2013.
‘The Final struggle’ displays the unraveling movements and choreographic rhythms of the ‘Chosen Ones’ final solo dance as she struggles and comes to terms with her own destiny. The image is a segment from the original ‘scroll’ photograph Klasmer has created using her unique method of pulling a film through her modified camera while the shutter is open to reveal one long exposure of the entire roll of 35mm film.
