The Rite of Spring (MacMillan) The Rite of Spring (MacMillan) The Rite of Spring is a one-act ballet created by Kenneth MacMillan in 1962 for the Royal Ballet. The music is Igor Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" (1913). The conductor was Colin Davis; the designs were by Sidney Nolan. The first performance was given at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on 3 May 1962. The central role of the Chosen One was danced by Monica Mason who continued to tale the part in revivals up to 1982. Mason supervised later revivals, in which the Chosen One was danced by, among others, Tamara Rojo, (2005
The Rite of Spring of the work would be called "The Kiss of the Earth", and would consist of games and ritual dances interrupted by a procession of sages, culminating in a frenzied dance as the people embraced the spring. Part Two, "The Sacrifice", would have a darker aspect; secret night games of maidens, leading to the choice of one for sacrifice and her eventual dance to the death before the sages. The original working title was changed to "Holy Spring" (Russian: " Vesna sviashchennaia"), but the work became generally known by the French translation "Le Sacre du printemps", or its English equivalent "The