In Bejart’s version of this classic story, The Firebird is not only the phoenix resurrected from its ashes, but also the poet and the revolutionary as well. The ballet depicts a group of partisans expressing their revolutionary ideas, with strong cohesion and fervent loyalty. One of them is the firebird, spurring on the others with his unwavering faith and passion. Revolutions can be crushed, but they again rise from the ashes like the phoenix.
While the cast as a whole is mixed, in previous iterations of The Firebird the main role was danced by a woman, whereas Béjart cast a man in the role.