Anna Pavlovna Pavlova personal life. The immortal swan of Russian ballet: Anna Pavlova - the prima who gave the world a legendary image

A fragile girl who was not wanted to be taken in ballet school, Anna Pavlova in her time - and, perhaps, today - is the most famous ballerina in the world. Pavlova was the first dancer to organize world ballet tours. Her image has become synonymous with Russian ballet of the 20th century. And most famous role The prima's repertoire included a sensual 130-second miniature “The Dying Swan” to the music of Camille Saint-Saëns.

born on February 12, 1881 in the village of Ligovo near St. Petersburg. Despite the fact that the mother of the future ballerina, Lyubov Fedorovna, raised Anna on her own and did not have sufficient funds, she still tried to please her daughter as much as possible. And then one day, when Anna was 8 years old, her mother took her to the Mariinsky Theater to see the ballet “The Sleeping Beauty”. The girl, who had an innate, subtle sense of beauty, instantly fell in love with the art of ballet and realized that she wanted to become a ballerina.

Lyubov Fedorovna supported her daughter’s desire, but Anna was too young to enter the ballet department of the St. Petersburg theater school, so they accepted her there only two years later. And at first, she did not inspire much hope in many teachers, since she was too fragile in build, which gave her sickly look. But she lived for ballet and did everything possible to achieve perfection.

During her studies, Anna stood out from other students with her slender body and long legs. Today such a figure would only be handy modern ballerina, but in Pavlova's time classical dancers were small and had a more compact body. Despite her innate talent, classical ballet was difficult for Pavlova, as she had weak ankles and very inflexible legs. She eventually solved this problem by adding a piece of hardwood to the sole for durability. This helped her get on pointe shoes because it reduced the pain.

Nikolay Legat and Anna Pavlova

At the age of 18 she graduated from ballet school and was accepted into the corps de ballet. Mariinsky Theater. Soon more responsible parties began to trust her. Pavlova danced in such classical ballets like “The Nutcracker”, “The Little Humpbacked Horse”, “Raymonda”, “La Bayadère” and “Giselle”. And after 7 years of work at the Mariinsky in 1906 she became the leading ballerina of the theater.

Had a huge impact on Anna Pavlova founder of the romantic ballet Mikhail Fokine. She danced in his ballets Chopiniana, Armida's Pavilion and Egyptian Nights. But their main collaboration was the choreographic miniature “The Dying Swan,” first presented in 1907 at a charity evening at the Mariinsky Theater.

This image was born from Fokin and Pavlova literally out of thin air. Mikhail Fokin came up with the idea for Anna a concert number to the music of Saint-Saëns in just a few minutes, improvising with her. This is how the image of a swan floating smoothly on the water was born. Subsequently, this role became a symbol of Russian ballet of the twentieth century.

« Pavlova- this is a cloud hovering above the earth, Pavlova- this is a flame that flares up and dies out, this is autumn leaf, driven by a gust of icy wind...", - wrote one critic.

Choreography by Mikhail Fokine, music by Saint-Saëns and performance Anna Pavlova created a role filled with the agony of the swan's final flight. The audience was captivated by the gentle movements Pavlova and a tense expression on her face as the ballerina tried to convey all the fragility of life in dance. It was the role of “The Dying Swan” that became the signature role in the repertoire Pavlova and glorified her throughout the world.

The only recording of Anna Pavlova

Glory Pavlova grew up. In 1909, the ballerina took part in the “Russian Season” campaign of Sergei Diaghilev in Paris, after which she became his symbol, and about Anna Pavlova the whole world knew. A year later, the ballerina created her own troupe and went on a tour of major European cities, including Berlin, Copenhagen and Prague. For 20 years she toured all over the world, also covering the UK and the USA. She especially loved Australia, which she visited quite often, influencing the Australian dance culture in many ways. Exactly Pavlova inspired Frederick Ashton, who later became a dancer and chief choreographer at the Royal Ballet School in London.

“Flexible, graceful, musical, with facial expressions full of life and fire, she surpasses everyone with her amazing airiness. How quickly and magnificently this bright, versatile talent blossomed,” this is how the press spoke about the ballerina.

In 1912, she purchased Ivy House in London, where she spent her few holidays. She loved animals and birds very much, so there were a lot of them on her estate. The ballerina's eyes were especially pleased with two beautiful white swans. Last performance Anna Pavlova in St. Petersburg took place in 1913, after which the ballerina never returned to Russia.

Talent is a gift and hard work is a choice. She knew this very well, and if one half of her life was spent under the bright lights of the stage, then the other half was spent behind the stage, in daily training near the machine. She knew that without self-improvement she would never become a great ballerina. “I owe my success to continuous work and to my worthy teachers,” I wrote in the book “Pages of My Life.” Thanks to tireless, exhausting training, a great ballerina was born who eclipsed the entire dance world.

In 1983 about life Anna Pavlova A five-episode television film directed by Emil Loteanu was shot. The plot of this picture covers the life of a ballerina from the moment of her first acquaintance with ballet to last day life.

Galina Belyaeva as Anna Pavlova

Exhausted by tours and the constant stress of performances, she died on January 23, 1931 in The Hague from pneumonia. The ballerina was 49 years old. If you believe the legend, her last words before her death were addressed to her costume designer: “Get my swan costume ready!”

Unlike many other ballerinas, she did not leave behind an heiress. And this is not because the prima did not want to share her skills with anyone; on the contrary, she even had her own ballet school in England, and she always devoted all her free time and love to her students. Simply, as the critic Andrei Levinson said: “Her art was born and died with her - to dance like Pavlova, you had to be Pavlova.”

, The Hague, the Netherlands) - Russian ballet dancer, one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century. After the outbreak of the First World War, she settled in Great Britain and constantly toured with her troupe around the world, presenting the art of ballet in many countries for the first time.

Biography

Anna Pavlova was born in the holiday village of Ligovo near St. Petersburg. Shortly before the birth of her daughter, her mother, Lyubov Fedorovna Pavlova, married a retired soldier of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, Matvey Pavlov; this marriage soon broke up. It is not known for certain who the real father of the ballerina was. According to several contemporaries, including her two half-brothers, Anna Pavlova’s father was one of the largest Moscow bankers, landowner Lazar Polyakov. The ballerina hid her origins until her death.

As a child, she lived with her mother in her own house on Nikolaevskaya Street.

The name Pavlova became legendary during the ballerina’s lifetime.

Death

According to legend, her last words were: “Get my swan costume ready!” In 2009, these words were included in the title of a Russian film. [significance of the fact?] .

Confession

During her Australian tour, Anna Pavlova made such an impression on the public that a very popular cake was named after her, which is still served for dessert in restaurants in Australia and New Zealand.
A group of haptophyte algae, Pavlovophyceae, is named after Anna Pavlova.
One of the MD-11 aircraft (registration number PH-KCH) of the national airline of the Netherlands KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is named after “Anna Pavlova”
Pavlova's crown on Venus is named in her honor.
The musical episode “The Dying Swan” appeared in Andrei Dennikov’s one-man show “Confession of a Hooligan” (Obraztsov Theater, 2002-2011), symbolizing both the image of Anna Pavlova herself and the fate of the post-revolutionary Russian emigration.
London's Palace Theater still has two seats for which tickets are not sold: they are reserved for the ghosts of Anna Pavlova and the actor Ivor Novello.

Addresses in St. Petersburg

Memory

In 2002, a memorial plaque was installed on the wall of house No. 5 on Italianskaya Street in St. Petersburg (sculptor V. I. Troyanovsky, architect T. N. Miloradovich) with erroneous dates in the text: “Anna Pavlova, the great Russian ballerina, lived in this house in 1909".
In 2009, Anna Pavlova Street appeared in Lomonosov (St. Petersburg).

Film incarnation

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Notes

Literature

Krasovskaya V. M. Anna Pavlova: Pages from the life of a Russian dancer. - L.: M.: Art, 1964. - 220 p. - (Lignites of the Russian stage). - 70,000 copies.
N. Arkina.. - M.: Knowledge, 1981. - 56 p.
Victor Dandre. Anna Pavlova. Life and legend. - M.: Vita Nova, 2003. - 592 p. - ISBN 5-93898-043-7.
Aldzheranov H. Anna Pavlova: Ten years in the life of a Russian ballet star M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2006

An excerpt characterizing Pavlova, Anna Pavlovna

For a long time the Rostovs had no news of Nikolushka; Only in the middle of winter was a letter given to the count, at the address of which he recognized his son’s hand. Having received the letter, the count, frightened and hasty, trying not to be noticed, ran on tiptoe into his office, locked himself and began to read. Anna Mikhailovna, having learned (as she knew everything that was happening in the house) about the receipt of the letter, quietly walked into the count’s room and found him with the letter in his hands, sobbing and laughing together. Anna Mikhailovna, despite the improvement in her affairs, continued to live with the Rostovs.
- Mon bon ami? – Anna Mikhailovna said inquiringly, sadly and with a readiness for any kind of participation.
The Count began to cry even more. “Nikolushka... letter... wounded... would... be... ma сhere... wounded... my darling... countess... promoted to officer... thank God... How to tell the countess?...”
Anna Mikhailovna sat down next to him, wiped away the tears from his eyes, from the letter they had dripped, and her own tears with her handkerchief, read the letter, reassured the count and decided that before lunch and tea she would prepare the countess, and after tea she would announce everything, if God will help her.
Throughout dinner, Anna Mikhailovna talked about rumors of war, about Nikolushka; I asked twice when the last letter from him was received, although I knew this before, and noticed that it would be very easy, perhaps, to receive a letter today. Every time at these hints the countess began to worry and look anxiously, first at the count, then at Anna Mikhailovna, Anna Mikhailovna most imperceptibly reduced the conversation to insignificant subjects. Natasha, of the whole family, most gifted with the ability to sense shades of intonation, glances and facial expressions, from the beginning of dinner her ears pricked up and knew that there was something between her father and Anna Mikhailovna and something concerning her brother, and that Anna Mikhailovna was preparing. Despite all her courage (Natasha knew how sensitive her mother was to everything related to the news about Nikolushka), she did not dare to ask questions at dinner and, out of anxiety, ate nothing at dinner and spun around in her chair, not listening to her governess’s comments. After lunch, she rushed headlong to catch up with Anna Mikhailovna and in the sofa room, with a running start, threw herself on her neck.
- Auntie, my dear, tell me, what is it?
- Nothing, my friend.
- No, darling, darling, honey, peach, I won’t leave you behind, I know you know.
Anna Mikhailovna shook her head.
“Voua etes une fine mouche, mon enfant, [You are a delight, my child.],” she said.
- Is there a letter from Nikolenka? Maybe! – Natasha screamed, reading the affirmative answer in Anna Mikhailovna’s face.
- But for God's sake, be careful: you know how this can affect your maman.
- I will, I will, but tell me. Won't you tell me? Well, I’ll go and tell you now.
Anna Mikhailovna in in short words told Natasha the contents of the letter with the condition not to tell anyone.
“Honest, noble word,” Natasha said, crossing herself, “I won’t tell anyone,” and immediately ran to Sonya.
“Nikolenka... wounded... letter...” she said solemnly and joyfully.
- Nicolas! – Sonya just said, instantly turning pale.
Natasha, seeing the impression made on Sonya by the news of her brother’s wound, felt for the first time the whole sad side of this news.
She rushed to Sonya, hugged her and cried. – A little wounded, but promoted to officer; “He’s healthy now, he writes himself,” she said through tears.
“It’s clear that all of you women are crybabies,” said Petya, walking around the room with decisive big steps. “I am so very glad and, truly, very glad that my brother distinguished himself so much.” You are all nurses! you don't understand anything. – Natasha smiled through her tears.
-Have you not read the letter? – Sonya asked.
“I didn’t read it, but she said that everything was over, and that he was already an officer...
“Thank God,” said Sonya, crossing herself. “But maybe she deceived you.” Let's go to maman.
Petya walked silently around the room.
“If I were Nikolushka, I would kill even more of these French,” he said, “they are so vile!” I would beat them so much that they would make a bunch of them,” Petya continued.
- Shut up, Petya, what a fool you are!...
“I’m not a fool, but those who cry over trifles are fools,” said Petya.
– Do you remember him? – after a minute of silence Natasha suddenly asked. Sonya smiled: “Do I remember Nicolas?”
“No, Sonya, do you remember him so well that you remember him well, that you remember everything,” Natasha said with a diligent gesture, apparently wanting to attach the most serious meaning to her words. “And I remember Nikolenka, I remember,” she said. - I don’t remember Boris. I don't remember at all...
- How? Don't remember Boris? – Sonya asked in surprise.
“It’s not that I don’t remember, I know what he’s like, but I don’t remember it as well as Nikolenka.” Him, I close my eyes and remember, but Boris is not there (she closed her eyes), so, no - nothing!
“Ah, Natasha,” said Sonya, looking enthusiastically and seriously at her friend, as if she considered her unworthy to hear what she had to say, and as if she were saying this to someone else with whom one should not joke. “I once fell in love with your brother, and no matter what happens to him, to me, I will never stop loving him throughout my life.”
Natasha looked at Sonya in surprise and with curious eyes and was silent. She felt that what Sonya said was true, that there was such love as Sonya spoke about; but Natasha had never experienced anything like this. She believed it could be, but she didn't understand.
-Will you write to him? – she asked.
Sonya thought about it. The question of how to write to Nicolas and whether to write and how to write was a question that tormented her. Now that he was already an officer and a wounded hero, was it good of her to remind him of herself and, as it were, of the obligation that he had assumed in relation to her.
- Don't know; I think if he writes, I’ll write too,” she said, blushing.
“And you won’t be ashamed to write to him?”
Sonya smiled.
- No.
“And I’ll be ashamed to write to Boris, I won’t write.”
- Why are you ashamed? Yes, I don’t know. Embarrassing, embarrassing.
“And I know why she will be ashamed,” said Petya, offended by Natasha’s first remark, “because she was in love with this fat man with glasses (that’s how Petya called his namesake, the new Count Bezukhy); Now she’s in love with this singer (Petya was talking about the Italian, Natasha’s singing teacher): so she’s ashamed.
“Petya, you’re stupid,” Natasha said.
“No more stupid than you, mother,” said nine-year-old Petya, as if he were an old foreman.
The Countess was prepared by hints from Anna Mikhailovna during dinner. Having gone to her room, she, sitting on an armchair, did not take her eyes off the miniature portrait of her son embedded in the snuffbox, and tears welled up in her eyes. Anna Mikhailovna, with the letter, tiptoed up to the countess's room and stopped.
“Don’t come in,” she said to the old count who was following her, “later,” and closed the door behind her.
The Count put his ear to the lock and began to listen.
At first he heard the sounds of indifferent speeches, then one sound of Anna Mikhailovna's voice, making a long speech, then a cry, then silence, then again both voices spoke together with joyful intonations, and then steps, and Anna Mikhailovna opened the door for him. On Anna Mikhailovna’s face was the proud expression of an operator who had completed a difficult amputation and was introducing the audience so that they could appreciate his art.
“C”est fait! [The job is done!],” she said to the count, pointing with a solemn gesture at the countess, who was holding a snuffbox with a portrait in one hand, a letter in the other, and pressed her lips to one or the other.
Seeing the count, she stretched out her arms to him, hugged his bald head and through the bald head again looked at the letter and portrait and again, in order to press them to her lips, she slightly pushed the bald head away. Vera, Natasha, Sonya and Petya entered the room and the reading began. The letter briefly described the campaign and two battles in which Nikolushka participated, promotion to officer, and said that he kisses the hands of maman and papa, asking for their blessing, and kisses Vera, Natasha, Petya. In addition, he bows to Mr. Sheling, and Mr. Shos and the nanny, and, in addition, asks to kiss dear Sonya, whom he still loves and about whom he still remembers. Hearing this, Sonya blushed so that tears came to her eyes. And, unable to withstand the glances directed at her, she ran into the hall, ran up, spun around and, inflating her dress with a balloon, flushed and smiling, sat down on the floor. The Countess was crying.
-What are you crying about, maman? - Vera said. “We should rejoice at everything he writes, not cry.”
This was completely fair, but the count, the countess, and Natasha all looked at her reproachfully. “And who did she look like!” thought the countess.
Nikolushka's letter was read hundreds of times, and those who were considered worthy of listening to it had to come to the countess, who would not let him out of her hands. Tutors, nannies, Mitenka, and some acquaintances came, and the countess re-read the letter every time with new pleasure and each time, from this letter, she discovered new virtues in her Nikolushka. How strange, extraordinary, and joyful it was for her that her son was the son who had barely noticeably moved with tiny limbs inside her 20 years ago, the son for whom she had quarreled with the pampered count, the son who had learned to say before: “ pear,” and then “woman,” that this son is now there, in a foreign land, in a foreign environment, a courageous warrior, alone, without help or guidance, doing some kind of manly work there. All the world's centuries-old experience, indicating that children imperceptibly from the cradle become husbands, did not exist for the countess. The maturation of her son in every season of manhood was as extraordinary for her as if there had never been millions of millions of people who matured in exactly the same way. Just as she couldn’t believe 20 years ago that that little creature that lived somewhere under her heart would scream and begin to suck her breast and start talking, so now she couldn’t believe that this same creature could be that strong, a brave man, an example of the sons and men he was now, judging by this letter.
- What a calm, how cute he describes! - she said, reading the descriptive part of the letter. - And what a soul! Nothing about myself... nothing! About some Denisov, and he himself is probably braver than them all. He writes nothing about his suffering. What a heart! How do I recognize him! And how I remembered everyone! I haven't forgotten anyone. I always, always said, even when he was like this, I always said...

Anna Pavlovna Pavlova was born on February 12 (new style) 1881 in St. Petersburg. There is still no reliable information about her father. Even in encyclopedias, Anna’s patronymic is given either Pavlovna or Matveevna. The ballerina herself did not like to be called by her patronymic, as a last resort preferred to be called Anna Pavlovna - by her last name. In the eighties of the last century, a document was discovered in the theater archives of St. Petersburg confirming that Matvey Pavlovich Pavlov was married to Lyubov Fedorovna, Pavlova’s mother. The document was dated 1899. This meant that he was alive at a time when the girl was already 18 years old.

Once, when Anna had already become famous, the son of a wealthy St. Petersburg banker Polyakov said that she was his stepsister. The mentioned document states that Lyubov Fedorovna had a daughter, Anna, from another marriage. But she had never been married before. Then it became known that around 1880 Lyubov Fedorovna was in the service of the Polyakov family. She suddenly disappeared; it is not known exactly why, but it can be assumed that it was due to her pregnancy. Anna's biological father is probably the wealthy banker Lazar Polyakov. True, the latter did not give a single ruble for the girl’s upbringing, and it is unknown about any further contacts between the Polyakov family and the ballet star...

In her autobiography, written in 1912, Anna Pavlova recalled her childhood and first steps on stage:

“My first memory is a small house in St. Petersburg, where my mother and I lived alone...

We were very, very poor. But my mother always managed to give me some pleasure on major holidays. Once, when I was eight years old, she announced that we would go to the Mariinsky Theater. “Now you will see sorceresses.” They showed "Sleeping Beauty".

From the very first notes of the orchestra, I became silent and trembled all over, for the first time feeling the breath of beauty above me. In the second act, a crowd of boys and girls danced a wonderful waltz. “Would you like to dance like that?” - Mom asked me with a smile. “No, I want to dance like that beautiful lady who portrays Sleeping Beauty.”

I love to remember that first evening at the theater, which decided my fate.

“We cannot accept an eight-year-old child,” said the director of the ballet school, where my mother took me, exhausted by my persistence. “Bring her when she’s ten years old.”

During the two years of waiting, I became nervous, sad and thoughtful, tormented by the persistent thought of how I could quickly become a ballerina.

Entering the Imperial Ballet School is like entering a monastery, such iron discipline reigns there. I left school at the age of sixteen with the title of first dancer. Since then I have risen to the rank of ballerina. In Russia, besides me, only four dancers have the official right to this title. The idea of trying myself on foreign stages first came when I was reading Taglioni’s biography. This great Italian danced everywhere: in Paris, London, and Russia. A cast of her leg is still kept here in St. Petersburg.”

Pavlova's studies at the Imperial Ballet School and the Mariinsky Theater

In 1891, the mother managed to get her daughter into the Imperial Ballet School, where Pavlova spent nine years. The school's charter was monastically strict, but the teaching here was excellent. At that time, the St. Petersburg Ballet School was undoubtedly the best in the world. Only here the classical ballet technique was still preserved.
Pavlova, completely absorbed in her studies, choreographic and music lessons, "monastic" life choreographic school didn't seem painful. The only thing that bothered her was her own fragile build, which did not correspond to the standards of stage beauty accepted in those years. At that time, Italian dancers shone on the ballet stage, possessing refined technique and developed muscles, giving them the opportunity to perform the most virtuosic elements. As a result, the public, critics and the artists themselves have a fixed image of the ideal ballerina as a strongly built one, with sculpted forms, capable of performing high, powerful jumps and the most complex choreographic tasks. This was the public's favorite Italian ballerina Legnani. But Pavlova remained petite, fragile, with a light figure. Her “airiness” seemed like a flaw both to her teachers and to herself. With great diligence, she took the fish oil prescribed to her and ate intensely in order to at least slightly correct her “deficiency.”

Fortunately, in high school, Pavlova’s teacher was the same Pavel Andreevich Gerdt, who appreciated the unusualness of his student and her rare talent. Seeing how Anna diligently performed exercises that contributed to the development of leg strength, but were completely unsuitable for her and could harm her body, he tried to convince the young dancer: “Leave acrobatic tricks to others... What seems to you to be your shortcoming is actually a rare quality that sets you apart from thousands of others.”

However, for a long time Anna remained convinced that her technical capabilities were very limited by her physical data. Only later did she fully appreciate the power of her own individuality, realizing that amazing plasticity and, most importantly, the highest spirituality, make her an outstanding, unique ballerina.

In 1898, while a student, Pavlova performed in the ballet “Two Stars,” staged by Petitpas. Even then, connoisseurs noted a special grace inherent only to her, an amazing ability to capture the poetic essence of a part and give it its own coloring.

After graduating from school in 1899, Pavlova was immediately enrolled in the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater. Her debut on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater took place in 1899 in the ballet “The Pharaoh's Daughter” to the music of Cesar Pugni, staged by Saint-Georges and Petipa. Having neither patronage nor a name, she remained on the sidelines for some time. The thin dancer, who was in poor health, showed a strong-willed character: she was used to overcoming herself and, even when ill, did not refuse to perform on stage. In 1900, in The Awakening of Flora, she received the role of Flora (Fokine played the role of Apollo). Then responsible roles began to follow one after another and Pavlova filled each of them with a special meaning. Remaining entirely within the framework of the classical school, she knew how to be strikingly original and, performing old ordinary dances, turned them into true masterpieces. The St. Petersburg public soon began to recognize the young talented ballerina. Anna Pavlova's skills improved year after year, from performance to performance. The young ballerina attracted attention with her extraordinary musicality and psychological restraint of dance, emotionality and drama, as well as yet to be revealed creative possibilities. The ballerina brought a lot of new things, her own, to each new performance.

A. Pavlova and M. Novikov.

Soon Anna Pavlova becomes the second, and then the first soloist. In 1902, Pavlova created a completely new image Nikiya in “La Bayadère”, interpreting it in terms of a high tragedy of the spirit. This interpretation changed the stage life of the play. The same thing happened with the image of Giselle, where the psychologism of the interpretation led to a poetically enlightened ending. The fiery, bravura dance of her heroines - Paquita, Kitri - was an example of performing skill and style.

At the beginning of 1903, Pavlova danced on stage for the first time. Bolshoi Theater. The brilliant but difficult path of Anna Pavlova in ballet begins, with her triumphant performances in the cities of the Russian Empire.

The ballerina's individuality, her dancing style, and her soaring jump prompted her partner, the future famous choreographer M. M. Fokin, to create “Chopiniana” to the music of F. Chopin (1907). These are stylizations in the spirit of elegant, animated engravings from the era of romanticism. In this ballet she danced the Mazurka and the Seventh Waltz with V.F. Nijinsky (Youth). Although her partner Vaslav Nijinsky danced the entire academic repertoire of leading soloists, his individuality was revealed primarily in the ballets of M. M. Fokine.

Anna Pavlova.(1881-1931)

Anna Pavlova's first foreign tour

Since 1908, Anna Pavlova began touring abroad.

This is how Pavlova recalled her first tour: “The first trip was to Riga. From Riga we went to Helsingfors, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Prague and Berlin. Everywhere our tours were greeted as revelations of new art.

Many people imagine the life of a dancer as frivolous. In vain. If a dancer does not control herself, she will not dance for long. She has to sacrifice herself to her art. Her reward is that she sometimes manages to make people forget for a moment their sorrows and worries.

I went with the Russian ballet troupe to Leipzig, Prague and Vienna, we danced a lovely " Swan Lake» Tchaikovsky. Then I joined Diaghilev’s troupe, which introduced Paris to Russian art.”

Pavlova became the main participant in all of Sergei Diaghilev’s “Russian Seasons” in Paris. This is where she received world fame. She danced in the ballets: “Pavilion of Armida”, “La Sylphides” and “Cleopatra” - these were the names of “Chopiniana” and “Egyptian Nights”. Pavlova has already performed this entire repertoire in Russia. In the luxurious ensemble of the greatest performing talents presented by Diaghilev in Paris, Anna occupied one of the first places.
But Pavlova did not perform in “Russian Seasons” for long. She wanted creative freedom.

Anna Pavlova.Artist.Sorin Savely Abramovich.(1887-1953)

Anna Pavlova's first independent productions

It was natural for Pavlova to try directing herself. She made such an attempt in 1909 at a performance at the Suvorinsky Theater in honor of the 75th anniversary of the owner, A. Suvorin. For her debut, Pavlova chose “Night” by Rubinstein. She appeared in a long white chiton with flowers in her hands and hair. Her eyes lit up when she handed her bouquet to someone. Flexible hands either passionately called out or fearfully pulled away. Everything together turned into a monologue about insane passion. The pathos was justified by the naive sincerity of the feeling. The free movement of the body and arms gave the impression of improvisation, reminiscent of Duncan's influence. But also classical dance, including finger technique, was present, diversifying and complementing expressive gestures. Pavlova's independent creativity was met with approval. The next numbers were “Dragonfly” by F. Kreisler, “Butterfly” by R. Drigo, “California Poppy”.
Here classical dance coexisted and intertwined with free plasticity. What united them emotional condition heroines.

In 1910, Anna Pavlova left the Mariinsky Theater, creating her own troupe. Pavlova included in her tour repertoire ballets by Tchaikovsky and Glazunov, “Vain Precaution,” “Giselle,” “Coppelia,” “Paquita,” and interesting concert numbers. The ballerina introduced all ballet lovers to Russian art. The troupe consisted of Russian choreographers and predominantly Russian dancers. With them she created new choreographic miniatures, the most famous of which are “Night” and “Waltz-Caprice” to the music of A. Rubinstein and “Dragonfly” to the music of Kreisler.

With her troupe, Pavlova toured with triumphant success in many countries around the world. She was the first to open Russian ballet to America, where for the first time ballet performances began to give full fees.
“...From London I went on tour to America, where I danced in
Metropolitan Theater. Of course, I am delighted with the reception the Americans gave me. The newspapers published my portraits, articles about me, interviews with me and - to tell the truth - a bunch of nonsense fiction about my life, my tastes and views. I often laughed, reading this fantastic lie and seeing myself as something I had never been - an eccentric and an extraordinary woman. The power of imagination of American journalists is simply amazing.

From New York we went on a tour around the province. It was a real triumphal procession, but terribly tiring. I was invited to go to America next year, and I wanted to go myself, but I really don’t have enough strength for this race across the continent - it breaks my nerves so terribly.”

Her tour routes lay in both Asia and the Far East. Behind the brilliant performances lay hard work. Here, for example, is a list of performances by Anna Pavlova's troupe in the USA in December 1914: 31 performances in different cities - from Cincinnati to Chicago, and not a single day of rest. The picture was the same in the Netherlands in December 1927: daily performances in different cities - from Rotterdam to Groningen. And only one day of rest - December 31st. Over 22 years of endless tours, Pavlova traveled more than half a million kilometers by train; according to rough estimates, she gave about 9 thousand performances. It was truly hard work.

There was a period when the Italian master Ninolini made an average of two thousand pairs of ballet shoes a year for Anna Pavlova, and she barely had enough of them.

In addition to monstrous fatigue, foreign tours had other negative consequences. Pavlova's relationship with the Mariinsky Theater became complicated due to financial disagreements. The artist violated the terms of the contract with the management for the sake of a profitable trip to America and was forced to pay a penalty. The management's desire to conclude a new contract with her was met with a demand to return the penalty. However, the theater was interested in the ballerina's performances. Steps were taken to resolve the incident. On the initiative of the directorate in 1913, Pavlova was awarded the honorary title of Honored Artist imperial theaters and was awarded a gold medal. The management still insisted that Anna perform only in Russia.
In the spring of 1914, Pavlova visited home for the last time. The ballerina performed on May 31 in St. Petersburg People's House, June 7 at Pavlovsky Station, June 3 at the Mirror Theater of the Moscow Hermitage Garden. The repertoire included “The Dying Swan”, “Bacchanalia”, and her other miniatures. An enthusiastic reception was addressed to the new Pavlova - an international “star”, a visiting celebrity. The small, fragile ballerina, already accustomed to overly strenuous work, was 33 years old. This was the fifteenth season of her theatrical career, the middle of her stage life.

She never returned to her homeland. But Pavlova was not indifferent to the situation in Russia. During the difficult post-revolutionary years, she sent parcels to students of the St. Petersburg Ballet School, transferred large sums of money to the starving people of the Volga region, and organized charity performances to support the needy in their homeland.

Great friendship and creative cooperation connected two outstanding masters of Russian ballet - Anna Pavlova and Mikhail Fokin. She performed the main roles in many of his ballets: “The Grapevine” by A. Rubinstein, “Chopiniana”, “Egyptian Nights”, etc. As a result creative union Pavlova and Fokina created works where dance is subordinated to spiritual and expressive tasks. This is how “Chopiniana” and “Swan” appeared to the music of C. Saint-Saens, which became poetic symbol Russian choreography.
Especially for Pavlova’s troupe, Mikhail Fokin staged “Preludes” to the music of F. Liszt and “Seven Daughters of the Mountain King” to the music of K. Spendiarov.

The small traveling troupe, of course, could not compete with the Mariinsky Theater in either its performing staff, musical culture, or design. Losses were inevitable and very noticeable, especially when contacting academic repertoire. In such alterations, Pavlova treated the music unceremoniously - she changed tempos, timbre colors, cut out numbers and inserted music from other composers. The only criterion that was important to her was to awaken her creative imagination. And the ballerina, due to her talent, often managed to some extent overcome the obvious absurdities of the musical material.

All this was noticed with an experienced eye by the famous dancer of the Diaghilev troupe, Sergei Lifar, who attended one of the ballerina’s performances:

“The Paris season of 1924 was especially rich and brilliant in musical and theatrical terms - as much as my poor means allowed me, I did not miss a single interesting concert, not a single interesting performance and lived for it, greedily absorbing all the impressions. One of the strongest and most significant Parisian impressions was the performance of Anna Pavlova.

When Anna Pavlova appeared on stage, it seemed to me that I had never seen anything like that not human, but divine beauty and lightness, completely weightless airiness and grace, “flutteriness”, which Anna Pavlova showed. From the first minute I was shocked and captivated by the simplicity, the ease of her plasticity: no fouettés, no virtuoso tricks - only beauty and only aerial gliding - so easy, as if she did not need to make any effort, as if she was divinely, Mozartian-gifted and added nothing to this easiest and most beautiful gift. I saw in Anna Pavlova not a dancer, but her genius, I bowed before this divine genius and for the first minutes I could not reason, I could not, I did not dare to see any shortcomings, any shortcomings - I saw a revelation of heaven and was not on earth... But in During the course of the performance I was either in heaven or on earth: sometimes Anna Pavlova’s divine gestures made me tremble with reverent delight, sometimes I saw in her dance-game some kind of inappropriate excessive playfulness, something from antics, something from cheap, and such places were unpleasantly jarring.
During intermission, in the foyer, I met Diaghilev - wherever I went this spring, I met him everywhere - and when he asked how I liked Anna Pavlova, I could only babble in delighted confusion: “Divine!” Brilliant! Wonderful!". Yes, Sergei Pavlovich did not need to ask my opinion - it was written on my face. But I did not dare to talk to Diaghilev or anyone else about my ambivalent impression, about the fact that some places seemed cheap and fraudulent to me. I was sure that everyone would laugh at me and say that I didn’t understand anything and was blasphemous. Subsequently, I became convinced that I was not the only one blaspheming—Diaghilev, who told me a lot about Anna Pavlova, also blasphemed.”

Personal life of Anna Pavlova

The ballerina’s personal life was not easy. However, Anna Pavlova considered this natural:

“Now I want to answer the question that is often asked to me: why don’t I get married. The answer is very simple. A true artist, like a nun, does not have the right to lead the life desired by most women. She cannot burden herself with worries about the family and the household and should not demand from life the quiet family happiness that is given to the majority.
I see that my life is a single whole. Pursuing the same goal non-stop is the secret of success. What is success? It seems to me that it is not in the applause of the crowd, but rather in the satisfaction that you get from approaching perfection. I once thought that success was happiness. I was wrong. Happiness is a butterfly that enchants for a moment and flies away.”
Pavlova connected her life with Victor Dandre. A very contradictory person. Dandre, a mining engineer, was accused in 1910 by the authorities of St. Petersburg of embezzlement of funds allocated for the construction of the Okhtinsky Bridge. Anna Pavlova had to rush to his rescue and pay a considerable sum to free him. Despite a written undertaking not to leave, Dandre subsequently fled Russia and lived without a passport for many years.
At the same time, Dandre was one of the most capable impresarios of his time, who first understood the power of the press. He constantly organized press conferences, invited photo reporters and newspapermen to Pavlova’s speeches, and gave numerous interviews related to her life and work. For example, he perfectly played out plots inspired by the romantic image of “The Swan.” Many photographs have been preserved depicting Anna Pavlova on the shore of the lake, along the mirror surface of which beautiful snow-white birds glide. There was such a reservoir at her Ivy House estate in England. Swans really lived there, and one of them, named Jack, was Anna Pavlova’s favorite. He did not forget his mistress when she was on long trips. The photograph of Anna with a swan on her lap is widely known, its head resting trustingly on her shoulder. The photo was taken by the famous photographer Lafayette, whom Dandre specially invited to shoot.
But it was Dandre who tried to squeeze everything possible out of the ballerina’s world fame, organizing endless and very intense tours, not sparing her health. Ultimately, the unbearable load apparently led to her untimely death...

The last days of Anna Pavlova's life

January 17, 1931 famous ballerina arrived on tour in the Netherlands, where she was well known and loved. In honor of the “Russian Swan”, the Dutch, famous for their flowers, developed a special variety of snow-white tulips and named them “Anna Pavlova”. You can still admire their exquisite beauty at flower exhibitions. The Dutch impresario Ernst Krauss met Anna at the station with a large bouquet of these flowers. But the ballerina felt bad and immediately went to the Hotel des Endes, where she was assigned a “Japanese Salon” with a bedroom, which later became known as the “Anna Pavlova Salon.” Apparently, the artist caught a bad cold while traveling by train in winter France. Moreover, as it turned out, the night train she was traveling from England to Paris collided with a freight train. The falling trunk hit her hard in the ribs. Anna told only her close friends about this incident, although she complained to many people about the pain.
A doctor was urgently called to the hotel and discovered acute pleurisy in the ballerina. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands sent Pavlova her personal physician, de Jong. After examining her, he came to the following conclusion: “Madam, you have pleurisy. Surgery required. I would advise removing one rib to make it easier to suck out the fluid.” In response to this, Dandre exclaimed: “How can this be! After all, she won’t be able to dance tomorrow!” Indeed, posters were posted all over The Hague announcing that “On January 19, the last performance in the Netherlands of the greatest ballerina of our time, Anna Pavlova, with her big ballet.” Then there was a long tour of North and Latin America, Far East. But this was not destined to come true.

Dandre decided to invite another doctor. Doctor Zalevsky, who had already treated Anna before, was urgently summoned from Paris by telegram. And the ballerina was getting worse. Apparently, then the legend of the “dying swan” was born, which Victor Dandre cites in his memoirs. Anna Pavlova, the memoirist assures, wanted to go on stage again at any cost. “Bring me my swan costume,” she said. These were supposedly her last words...

However, the reality was much more prosaic and tragic. Anna Pavlova's maid Marguerite Letienne and the doctors who were at her bedside spoke about this. They recall that the ballerina invited some members of her troupe to her place and gave them instructions, believing that, despite her illness, the performances should take place, especially in Belgium for the needs of the Red Cross. Then she got worse. Everyone except the maid left the room. Anna, nodding at the expensive dress recently bought in Paris from a famous couturier, said to Marguerite: “I would rather spend this money on my children.” She meant orphans who had long lived at her expense in one of the mansions. After this, the patient fell into a coma. When Zalewski arrived, he tried to pump out the fluid from the pleura and lungs using a drainage tube, but it was all in vain. Anna never regained consciousness. It is believed that on the night of January 22-23, 1931, she died from acute blood poisoning caused by an insufficiently disinfected drainage tube...

Yakovlev Alexander Evgenievich. “Portrait of the ballerina Anna Pavlova.”

After Pavlova's death

The Russian colony in Paris wanted Pavlova to be buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery, where a beautiful monument could be erected for her. But Dandre spoke out in favor of Anna being cremated. While touring in India, she became fascinated by Indian funeral ceremonies, during which the body of the deceased is burned on a funeral pyre. She remarked to loved ones that she would like to be cremated. “This way it will be easier to return my ashes to dear Russia", she allegedly said. Dandre discussed this issue with impresario Krauss, and they decided to consult with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in The Hague by priest Rozanov, because according to church canons Only burial in a cemetery is allowed. Considering the situation, the priest did not object to cremation...

Victor Dandre, despite all his assurances, was not the official husband of Anna Pavlova, although this is stated in his will and the urn with his ashes is installed next to Anna’s urn. She herself never called him her husband; they did not have a common bank account. After Anna's death, Dandre declared his claims to Aini House. When the ballerina’s mother, rejecting these attacks, sued him, Dandre was unable to present any marriage certificates or wedding photographs, citing the fact that the documents had not been preserved after the revolution in Russia. The lawyer then recalled that he had previously talked about marrying Pavlova in America. But even here, Dandre was unable to provide documents or even name the place of the wedding. He lost the case and had to leave Ivy House.
Whether Dandre was Anna Pavlova's husband or not, his will, quoted in the book, states: "I instruct my attorneys to purchase niches 5791 and 3797 at Golders Green Crematorium as a place for urns containing my ashes and the ashes of my beloved." wife Anna, known as Anna Pavlova. I authorize my attorneys to consent to the transfer of the ashes of my wife and, if they consider it possible, also my ashes to Russia, if at any time the Russian government or the government of any large Russian province seeks the transfer and gives my attorneys satisfactory assurances that that Anna Pavlova’s ashes will receive due honor and respect.”

The legend of the great Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova

Pavlova is unique. She had no high-profile titles, left neither followers nor school. After her death, her troupe was disbanded and her property was sold off. All that remains is the legend of the great Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, after whom the prizes and international awards. Feature films and documentaries are dedicated to her (Anna Pavlova, 1983 and 1985). The French choreographer R. Petit staged the ballet “My Pavlova” to composite music. Numbers from her repertoire are danced by the world's leading ballerinas. And Pavlov’s “The Dying Swan” was immortalized by Galina Ulanova, Ivet Shovir, and Maya Plisetskaya.

The great Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova.

The leaf was spinning, but so uncertainly,
I was fascinated by the smooth movements
The harsh wind, the spring wind,
Maple leaf - elegant Pavlova.

It was colored not only by frost,
He was wrapped in a young rainbow.
A leaf fluttered in this pink haze
And he answered the world with ringing strings.

The leaf wandered... Crowned with triumph
This path was like a stroke of fire,
Tender Pavlova! Strong woman!-
She dreamed of a clear dawn over the Neva.

There was an embrace of Latin America,
New York and Paris applauded
All the impresarios were hysterical
They greedily sought to raise their prestige.

The leaf was rushing on the edge, desperately,
He was eager to return to his native shores again,
Only the melody is unsteady and sad
In a forgotten photograph it will be revealed to us...

The maple has already dropped all its crimson leaves,
The forest is fascinated by ancient legends
The autumn wind, the harsh wind,
The leaf sparkled for us with magical edges.

The future ballerina was born on February 12, 1881 in the village of Ligovo near St. Petersburg in the family of a seamstress (who had to work as a laundress) Lyubov Pavlova. She was born premature and survived miraculously. Anya did not remember her official father, retired soldier of the Preobrazhensky Regiment Matvey Pavlov.

Rich childhood of a poor girl

Rumor considered her to be the real father of Lazar Polyakov, a banker and younger brother Russian “railway king” Samuil Polyakov. Perhaps it's just a legend. But she, in any case, explains some of the inconsistencies between the poor childhood of a soldier’s daughter and the two-story dacha rented for Anya’s grandmother in Ligov, an aristocratic suburb of the Northern capital, where theater bohemia and the then nouveau riche flocked for the summer. And frequent visits to the Mariinsky Theater and training at the capital's Imperial Ballet School also cost money. And quite a lot.

To ballet for the second time

However, the sickly girl was accepted into the ballet school only on her second visit. Anya knew that she would become a dancer from the age of eight, as soon as she attended the ballet at the Mariinsky Theater with her mother. Then she declared: “I will dance Sleeping Beauty in this theater!” However, the first attempt to enroll in school ended in failure. The second attempt also almost failed. Anya's fate was decided by the chairman admissions committee- famous choreographer Marius Petipa. After watching dance number Ani Pavlova, the gray-haired master gave a verdict: “A piece of fluff in the wind - it will fly on stage.”

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Ungainly Pavlova, nicknamed Mop

The school maintained discipline that would be the envy of the barracks! Getting up at eight, being doused with cold water, prayer, breakfast, and then eight hours of grueling classes at the ballet barre, interrupted only by a second breakfast (coffee with crackers), lunch, which did not satisfy hunger, and a daily hour-long walk on the fresh air. At half past nine in the evening, the students were required to be in their beds. Plus competition, jealousy, intrigue.

Anna, with her strange posture and poor health, got a lot of trouble from her flexible, curvy friends - the nickname Mop alone was worth it!

In dance technique, Anna was inferior to many ballerinas, including former graduates of the same school - Russian ballet stars Matilda Kshesinskaya, Tamara Karsavina and Olga Preobrazhenskaya. She could not “scroll” all 32 fouettés, as Kshesinskaya did. But the fragile and airy Pavlova had no competition in terms of artistry and ballet improvisation. She did not work, but danced - selflessly and with inspiration.

This impressed the strict examiners during the graduation performance. It took place in the spring of 1899 and at the same time became Pavlova’s debut as a “coryphean” - that’s what dancers enrolled in the Imperial Theater troupe were then called.

Triumph of the Coryphean

Anna's career developed rapidly. She quickly moved from the corps de ballet to the role of second soloist, and starting from the alarming and troubled year of 1905 she began to be called a ballerina. The prophecy of the experienced Petipa came true - now all the capital's newspapers did not spare excellent epithets to the rising star, noting that with the appearance of Pavlova on the stage, Russian ballet found a new breath.

Anna Pavlova's only love

Fortunately for Anna, her first patron turned out to be the first and only love for life. The son of a Russified French emigrant, Victor Dandre was handsome, rich, and distinguished by refined manners. At first, he patronized the aspiring ballerina out of passion for sports. He rented a luxurious apartment for Anna and set up a dance class hall in it, which at that time no aspiring actress could boast of. He did not show any serious intentions regarding Pavlova, but insisted that she should become a star of the first magnitude. And then the non-binding relationship turned out to be very difficult for Dandre true love. And at the same time the main thing in life! Because if there existed then, at the very dawn of “show business,” a super-successful international art project called Anna Pavlova, it was promoted by none other than the ballerina’s permanent impresario, Victor Dandre.

Sergei Diaghilev and his seasons

In 1909, the ballerina's patron introduced his protégé and lover to the famous theater entrepreneur Sergei Diaghilev, organizer of the triumphant Russian seasons in Paris. Diaghilev immediately invited Anna to dance in his productions, and Dandre undertook to buy stunning toiletries for the future prima of the now Parisian stage. He did not go back on his word, but as a result of these and other expenses he got into debt, which led the unlucky sponsor to debtor's prison. There were rumors that in addition to spending, Victor was also responsible for embezzling government funds...

“A suitable husband is to a wife what music is to dancing.”

Be that as it may, yesterday’s successful official, dandy and philanthropist did not have the money at hand to post bail. And while the grueling process lasted, which took a whole year, Anna left for Paris alone...

Anna Pavlova saves her beloved

Evil tongues, of course, did not fail to comment on her departure: everything is clear, love for the patron disappeared along with his money! Anna didn't make excuses. But immediately after the triumph in Paris, she signed a very profitable, enslaving contract with a famous London theatrical agency, and immediately sent the advance payment received for future tours to Victor. In Paris, Anna and Victor secretly got married.

Secret marriage and family tours

In 1912, Anna and Dandre organized their own troupe, which traveled across countries and continents for two decades, increasing the ballerina’s army of fans. The secret couple rented the Ivy House estate in London with a small park, which once belonged to the famous artist, the English forerunner of impressionism, William Turner. Anna's heart belonged entirely to ballet and Dandre. All her life she loved him alone and repeatedly repeated: “ A Suitable Husband for a wife it is what music is for dancing.”

Ballet in a barn, in the rain and in the circus arena

Pavlova’s natural talent was remarkable, and her efficiency, which reached the point of self-torture, amazed everyone. Fulfilling that same enslaving contract, the ballerina traveled to more than twenty countries in less than ten years, sometimes performing in the most inappropriate places for ballet - on an open stage in the pouring rain, in a circus arena, in a barn on hastily knocked together boards, in a variety show after tap dancers and trained monkeys . The Russian star performed with equal dedication on the best theater stages and in front of schoolchildren from the American outback, in front of Mexican shepherds and Australian miners.

Tulips and dessert in honor of the great ballerina

Mexican macho men threw sombreros at her feet, Indians showered her with lotus flowers, and the Nordic-restrained Swedes, during her first foreign tour in 1907, silently, so as not to disturb the actress’s peace, escorted her carriage to the hotel. For many years, the Spanish king sent bouquets to each of her performances - regardless of where she was performing at that moment. In Holland, a special variety of tulips was bred in her honor - Anna Pavlova. And in Australia they came up with an exquisite delicacy - an airy dessert made from meringue, whipped cream and wild berries, called Pavlova (with an emphasis on the letter “o”).

“If I don’t have time to live, then I must die on my feet.”

She was no stranger to going on stage with a fever, sprained ligaments, and once during a tour in the USA the ballerina performed her part even with a broken leg! The newspapers wrote that Pavlova wears out two thousand pairs of ballet shoes a year.

The dying swan who did not spare himself

The crowning achievement of Anna Pavlova’s career was the same “The Dying Swan”, created in St. Petersburg by choreographer Mikhail Fokin to the music of Saint-Saëns. The name of the dance number, alas, turned out to be prophetic. Anna was persuaded many times to take a vacation and rest. The ballerina only sluggishly fought back. “If I don’t have time to live, then I should die on the move, on my feet,” she once said.

This was said in the fall of 1930. In January she was scheduled to go on tour in The Hague, but on the way to Holland the ballerina got sick on the train and fell ill. Doctors diagnosed him with influenza. At a time when there were no accessible and effective antibiotics, such a sentence should have prepared for any outcome... In addition, Pavlova refused to take the medications that the doctor prescribed. As a result, pneumonia began, which turned into pleurisy. 3 days later, the ballerina died, 8 days short of her 50th birthday.

The legend of the death of Anna Pavlova

From book to book, the legend wanders that a few hours before her death, Anna Pavlova came to her senses, sat up in bed, crossed herself and asked: “Get my Swan costume ready!” Such beautiful legends accompanied her all her life - they did not leave Pavlova even in her last minutes.
But it is known for sure that the management never rented out the hotel room in The Hague where the Russian actress died to anyone else. And in the city theater for many years, on the anniversary of Pavlova’s death, a strange performance was held: the curtain rose, the music of Saint-Saëns sounded, and only a lonely spotlight moved across the empty stage, following the movements of the invisible dancer. These days the public watched the phantom dance while standing and in complete silence.

Today's story is about the greatest Russian ballerina, not just a star, but a treasure of the world ballet stage, Anna Pavlova. This is the dancer who turned the world of Russian ballet upside down - it started with her new era sensuality and sophistication in ballet. Everything artificial and feigned faded into the background, the soul became higher than the race for mastery. Before Anna Pavlova appeared, Russian ballet was dominated by the era of Italian dancers who were engaged abroad. Their dancing was as bombastic as it was virtuosic. Anna Pavlova broke this tradition not only with impeccable choreography, but also with the endless sincerity of her dance.
Little is known about Anna Pavlova’s personal life - she published a book of memoirs, but we learn almost nothing about the dancer’s life from this narrative: it is entirely devoted to art. Pavlova was born in February 1881 in the family of a simple washerwoman Lyubov Fedorovna Pavlova, but it is assumed that she was the illegitimate daughter of a rather wealthy merchant Lazar Polyakov. This is precisely what can explain the fact that her mother was able to pay for her studies at the Imperial Ballet School, where Anechka entered with difficulty - they did not want to take her because of her poor health. The girl was born seven months old and suffered from anemia, frequent colds and excessive stooping. However, the famous Marius Petipa already saw young talent and I was not mistaken.

Anna devoted herself entirely to her studies; she was not afraid of the difficult learning conditions, nor the long hours of training, nor numerous prohibitions, nor separation from her family - she was born for ballet and dreamed only of it. There are legends about Pavlova's self-denial - she went on stage with a fever, sick, exhausted, with sprained ligaments, and in America she even performed with a broken leg.

After graduating from college, Anna was accepted into the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater, and in 1906 she became the leading ballerina of the troupe. Anna also had an idol - Maria Taglioni, an Italian dancer, whom Pavlova looked up to and who inspired her to creativity and hard work. Did Anya know how much she would surpass her inspiration?

His most famous part - a choreographic miniature Dying Swan, choreographed by Fokine, she first performed in 1907. Later, this production will become an undisputed symbol of Russian ballet.

In 1910, Pavlova left the Mariinsky Theater and created her own troupe, which successfully toured abroad extensively. After 1914, Anna moved to live in England and never returned to Russia. She casts her lot with the scandalous Russian lawyer Victor Dandre. Their relationship is mysterious and hidden in a veil of secrecy. Some sources believe that Victor suffered from the antics and whims of the famous dancer, but humbly endured them, being endlessly in love. Others claim that he was an incredible dictator, did not spare the ballerina’s health and strength, and being not only Pavlova’s life partner, but also Pavlova’s impresario, he organized incredibly busy tours - it happened that concerts followed one after another every day without days off for months! What really happened, who was responsible for such debilitating tour schedule: the ballerina herself or her merciless companion, it seems, we will no longer know.

Anna Pavlova died in Holland, during a tour, on January 23, 1931, from acute pleurisy: on the way from France she caught a severe cold and also received a significant bruise to her chest. Doctors recommended immediate surgery, but for some reason the operation was postponed, and on January 19, Anna Pavlova gave her last concert in The Hague, being very weak. Who initiated the cancellation of the operation—the ballerina herself or her companion Victor—remained unknown.