Gloves Off (symbol)
Julian is conducting the orchestra in an early morning rehearsal, and we see the conductor with his gloves on scolding him for bringing the orchestra members in so early, forcing him to pay them overtime. We then see Lermontov with his gloves off. Unlike the conductor, Lermontov has already built a relationship with Julian, as Julian approached Lermontov to bemoan the unlicensed use of his music in Heart of Fire. Lermontov's lack of gloves represents a more casual, less formal relationship with Julian, symbolizing that while the two may not speak in complete agreement, he is invested in continuing a creative relationship with him.
Behind the Curtain (symbol)
After Irina (the Ballet Lermontov's lead ballerina) leaves the ballet to get married, we see all of the dancers gather to congratulate her. But Lermontov is curiously absent, and as she seeks him, she pulls back a curtain to find that he is not there. He has left, angry at her for what he perceives as a betrayal to her commitment to dance. This moment symbolizes that Lermontov has no heart for life outside the ballet; when Irina draws back the curtain in hopes of finding his congratulations, she finds it empty.
The Red Shoes (symbol)
The red ballet shoes worn in the ballet symbolize Lermontov himself: much like the shoes force their wearer to keep dancing, Lermontov pushes his dancers to remain dedicated to art at all costs. Although he does not physically compel Vicky to keep dancing (as the shoes do to their wearer), he still pushes her psychologically, eventually entreating her to come back and dance again even after she has left the company to marry Julian. This symbolism can help us understand the film's ambiguous ending: when Vicky, wearing the red shoes for her costume, dances onto a balcony and then throws herself off of it, her suicide can be understood to have been caused by Lermontov.
Model Stage
After learning that Irina is leaving the company, we see Lermontov alone in the dark of his room as he switches on a light inside a small model stage. Lermontov's godlike stature as he regards the miniature stage symbolizes his outsized ego and intense need for creative control: he attempts to manipulate his dancers, including Vicky, as though they are his puppets.
Fenced In (symbol)
During the performance of his show, we see Lermontov near the stage, explaining to Boris that a truly dedicated dancer will ignore their natural urge to love other humans, and will love only their art. As he says this, he is seen from behind wiring that appears to fence him in, while Boris stands apart from him and free from the wiring. This tableau symbolizes how Lermontov is "fenced in" to his cynical worldview, whereas Boris, who believes that it is human nature to love, is free. This moment hints at the sadness that might underlie Lermontov's tyrannical position: he is trapped, perhaps by his previous experiences of heartbreak, by the belief that the love for others must be outweighed by the love of art.
