Le Spectre de la Rose

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For the 1946 motion picture, see Specter of the Rose

Le Spectre de la Rose is a ballet of the Ballets Russes based on a choreographic poem by Théophile Gautier. The music, by Carl Maria von Weber, was taken from his short piece Invitation to the Dance. Choreography was by Michel Fokine and set and costume design by Léon Bakst. It premiered on April 19, 1911 by the Ballets Russes in the Théâtre de Monte Carlo.

The story is about a debutante who falls asleep after her first ball. She dreams that she is dancing with the rose that she had been holding in her hand. Her dream ends when the rose escapes through the window. The dancers at the original performance were Vaslav Nijinsky as the Rose and Tamara Karsavina as the Girl.

Specter of the Rose is also the name of a motion picture released by Republic Pictures in 1946. It was written and directed by Ben Hecht, and concerns a half-mad ballet dancer who may have murdered his first wife.