The Dying Swan that the dance today is often made to appear to be a variation of "Swan Lake", which she describes as "Odette at death's door." Isabelle says that the ballet is not about a ballerina being able to transform herself into a swan, but about death, with the swan as a metaphor. Pavlova was recorded dancing "The Dying Swan" in a 1925 silent film, to which sound is often added. The short ballet has influenced interpretations of Odette in Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake", particularly during the parting of the lovers in the first lakeside scene. The dance was almost immediately adapted by
Mariinsky Ballet both companies are run by the theatre itself. Despite later name changes and pressures of the Russian revolution, the present day "Mariinsky Ballet" is still linked to the school, which is now known as the "Vaganova Ballet Academy". The Mariinsky Ballet is today recognised as one of the world's greatest ballet companies, employing over 200 dancers, including a reserve troupe and character artists. The Director of the Mariinsky Ballet is Yuri Fateyev. Being modelled on other leading opera/ballet theatres such as the Royal Opera House, London and La Scala, Milan, the Mariinsky Ballet and Mariinsky Opera both come under the