Russian culture is particularly rich in vivid imagery and imagination, especially when it comes to Russian folklore. Folk motifs have been reproduced to international acclaim in the performing arts, but to what extent does this convey the “real” Russia? It’s interesting to examine just how the artistic visions of Diaghilev, Bakst and Roerich have contributed to creating a true – or popularised – international impression of the mysterious Russian soul.

In general, Russian folklore is concerned mainly with the relationship between the natural and supernatural world, the basic needs of the people, and the family. However, much Russian folklore has been subject to translation onto the stages of the theatre, opera and dance.

For instance, let’s look at Mikhail Fokine’s 1910 ballet L'Oiseau de feu (The Firebird), which premiered with Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in Paris. It was created after the realisation that Russia was lacking a ballet of purely national character, and Fokine himself admitted that he decided to follow the lead of Rimsky-Korsakov who offered literary translations and adaptations of Russian folklore to opera.

For instance, let’s look at Mikhail Fokine’s 1910 ballet L'Oiseau de feu (The Firebird), which premiered with Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in Paris. It was created after the realisation that Russia was lacking a ballet of purely national character, and Fokine himself admitted that he decided to follow the lead of Rimsky-Korsakov who offered literary translations and adaptations of Russian folklore to opera. Fokine believed that the only remaining text was The Firebird. As it eventuated, this narrative was also the one best suited to lend itself to choreography. With some minor changes to Afanasiev’s tale, a dance interpretation of Russian folklore emerged to global acclaim.

When does popular prove to be too popular? Fokine’s exotic and rich imagery resulted in the equation of Russia with the East in Western consciousness and the English translation of the ideas behind the piece now amount to “fakelore.” The end product, significantly deviating from the original, was then packaged up for the world as the “real” Russia. Through international reproduction, even in Italian translation and Spanish translations, the concept proved to be an enduring memory, but it was still a myth that took Russian art the next 80 years to dispel.