 Of Fokine 's original choreography [ ... ] only scattered fragments remain [ ... ] he created only the bourrées [ a walking or running ballet step usually executed on the points of the toes ] for Pavlova . Subsequently , every performer [ ... ] has used the piece at her own taste and at her own risk [ ... ] In Russia I had danced Dudinskaya 's version and [ ... ] experienced a certain discomfort [ ... ] from all the sentimental stuff — the rushing around the stage , the flailing of the arms [ ... ] to the contemporary eye , its conventions look almost ludicrous [ ... ] the dance needs total emotional abandon , conveying the image of a struggle with death or a surrender to it [ ... ] As for the emotional content , I was helped by Pavlova , whose film of the work I saw . Even today , her Swan is striking — the flawless feeling for style , the animated face — although certain melodramatic details seem superfluous . 
