Ballet
Pillar of Fire
This is a psychological ballet, which was a pretty new idea when Tudor made it. It digs into one woman's fear, desire, and loneliness instead of chasing fairy tale plot. Nora Kaye became a star overnight as the lead, and the piece basically proved dance could carry real inner drama.
Fast facts
- Composer
- Arnold Schoenberg (Verklarte Nacht / Transfigured Night)
- Choreographer
- Antony Tudor
- Premiere
- 1942, Ballet Theatre, New York
- Structure
- One act
- Running time
- approx 40 minutes
The story
Set to Schoenberg's Verklarte Nacht, the ballet follows Hagar, a woman terrified of becoming a lonely spinster like her older sister and overlooked in favor of her flirtatious younger one. In a moment of despair she gives herself to a man she does not love, then is wracked with shame, before finding acceptance and real love by the end. It is an interior, emotional drama focused on one character's psychology.
What Pillar of Fire is famous for
- Pioneering the psychological, character-driven ballet
- The central role of Hagar
- Making a star of Nora Kaye
- Its Schoenberg score, Verklarte Nacht
Companies that perform Pillar of Fire
Pillar of Fire is in the repertoire of companies including American Ballet Theatre.
Good to know
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pillar of Fire about?
It follows Hagar, a woman caught between fear of lonely spinsterhood and longing for love, in a deeply psychological inner drama.
What music does it use?
Arnold Schoenberg's Verklarte Nacht, also known as Transfigured Night.
Why is it historically important?
It helped establish the psychological ballet, where inner emotional life rather than external plot drives the dance, and it made a star of Nora Kaye.
Who composed Pillar of Fire?
Pillar of Fire was composed by Arnold Schoenberg (Verklarte Nacht / Transfigured Night).
How long is Pillar of Fire?
Pillar of Fire runs approx 40 minutes.