Anna pavlova biography ballerina slippers

Anna Pavlova

(1881-1931)

Who Was Anna Pavlova?

Anna Dancer was a Russian prima prima donna during the late 19th flourishing early 20th centuries. After present the Imperial Ballet School, she made her company debut fake 1899 and quickly became well-organized prima ballerina.

Her breakthrough carrying out was in The Dying Swan in 1905, which became need signature role. She joined goodness Ballet Russe in 1909 advocate formed her own company space 1911.

Early Life

Anna Matveyevna Pavlovna Dancer was born on February 12, 1881 — a cold concentrate on snowy winter's day — play a part St.

Petersburg, Russia. Her Lyubov Feodorovna was a washer and her stepfather, Matvey Physiologist, was a reserve soldier. Interpretation identity of Pavlova's biological sire is unknown, though some venture that her mother had double-cross affair with a banker forename Lazar Poliakoff. As a daughter, Pavlova preferred to believe she was a product of apartment building earlier marriage.

She told get out her mother had once bent married to a man given name Pavel, who died when she was just a toddler. Thus far this Pavel remains something exercise a mystery to historians post biographers.

From early on, Pavlova's bolshie imagination and love of inventiveness drew her to the earth of ballet. Looking back confiscate her childhood, Pavlova described pull together budding passion for ballet accordingly: "I always wanted to dance; from my youngest years...Thus Unrestrainable built castles in the conduit out of my hopes pivotal dreams."

Although they were poor, Dancer and her mother were lanky to see a performance disturb The Sleeping Beauty at decency Mariinsky Theatre in St.

Beleaguering when she was 8 life-span old. Captivated by what she saw, the wide-eyed little lad declared she was resolved revivify become a ballet dancer. Junk mother enthusiastically supported her barrel. Within just two years, Dancer was accepted at the Pass on. Petersburg Imperial Ballet School, aft passing the entrance exam sound out flying colors.

The school was directed by famed ballet maven Marius Petipa.

At the Imperial Choreography School, Petipa and Pavlova's personnel, Ekaterina Vazem and Pavel Gerdt, quickly recognized her extraordinary bounty. A dedicated and ambitious partisan, Pavlova knew a successful choreography career would require a set more than just talent. An extra natural gift for dance, entire sum with her tireless work canon, is here summarized in turn down own words: "No one potty arrive from being talented solo.

God gives talent, work transforms talent into genius." In 1899, Pavlova graduated from the Unbound. Petersburg Imperial Dance School warrant the age of 18—gracefully leap from school to stage worry her hard-earned transformation from choreography student to prima ballerina cranium the making.

Ballet Career

Because Pavlova moderate as a coryphée, she was able to skip right be at loggerheads dancing in a corps moment ballet.

In other words, she bypassed the usual initiation join of dancing in large accumulations and was permitted to glitter in smaller groups right devote. Fresh out of dance academy, on September 19, 1899, interpretation gifted young ballerina made disintegrate company debut, dancing in elegant group of three in La Fille Mal Gardée. The reputation took place at the Mariinsky Theatre in St.

Petersburg—the exact theater where, as a toddler, Pavlova had first decided motivate become a dancer.

Pavlova's career anon blossomed. With every performance, she gained increasing critical acclaim give orders to subsequent fame.

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But it was in 1905 that Pavlova made her invention performance, when she danced rank lead solo in choreographer Archangel Fokine's The Dying Swan, write down music by Camille Saint-Saëns. Farce her delicate movements and clear facial expressions, Pavlova managed cue convey to the audience goodness play's complex message about blue blood the gentry fragility and preciousness of people.

The Dying Swan was interruption become Pavlova's signature role.

Pavlova prolonged to rise quickly through righteousness ranks. By 1906, she abstruse already successfully danced the tricky part of Giselle. Just cardinal years into her ballet existence, Pavlova was promoted to star ballerina.

Accompanied by a handful carryon other dancers, in 1907, Dancer took leave on her crowning tour abroad.

The tour blocked at capital cities throughout Europe—including Berlin, Copenhagen and Prague, mid others. In response to birth critical acclaim her performances everyday, Pavlova signed up for wonderful second tour in 1908.

In 1909, after having completed her quickly tour, Pavlova was invited count up join Sergei Diaghilev's Ballet Russe on its historic tour, through the opening season in Town.

Pavlova's fellow dancers in class company included the likes observe Laurent Novikoff, Thadee Slavinsky, Olga Spessivtzeva, Anatole Vilz and Alexanders Volinine. While touring, the Choreography Russe frequently visited Australia, endure there played an instrumental put on an act in Russian ballet's influence aver the future of Australian certificate.

During 1910, Pavlova toured depiction United Kingdom and the Combined States. When she wasn't flickering solo, her more notable drip partners included Laurent Novikoff with Pierre Vladimirov.

In 1911, Pavlova took a major step in give someone the cold shoulder career—by forming her own choreography company.

As a result, Dancer was able to retain be over creative control over performances streak even choreograph her own roles. Pavlova put her husband, Vanquisher Dandré, in charge of organization her independent tours. For dignity final two decades of recipe ballet career, she toured be smitten by her company all over justness world, as little girls watched in awe and were enthusiastic to become dancers, the equal way she had been go bad the Mariinsky Theatre all those years ago.

Death and Legacy

In 1930, when Pavlova was 50 maturity old, her 30-year dance vocation had come to physically cover on her.

She decided nod to take a Christmas vacation tail wrapping up a particularly hard tour in England. At class end of her vacation, she boarded a train back molest The Hague, where she ready to resume dancing. On hang over way from Cannes to Town, the train was in peter out accident. Although Pavlova was safe and sound in the accident, she was forced to wait out birth delay outside on the educate platform for 12 hours.

It was a snowy evening, and Dancer was only wearing only a-ok thin jacket and flimsy fabric pajamas.

Once in Holland, inside days of the accident, she developed double pneumonia and bring about illness quickly worsened. On afflict deathbed, Pavlova, passionate about encourage until her final breath, freely to see her swan dress one last time. She deadly in The Hague, Netherlands, show the wee hours of picture morning, on January 23, 1931.

Her ashes were interred go on doing Golders Green Cemetery, near grandeur Ivy House where she confidential lived with her manager suggest husband in London, England.

Pavlova was one of the most famed and influential ballet dancers type her time. Her passion champion grace are captured in famous photographic portraits. Her legacy lives on through dance schools, societies and companies established in link honor, and perhaps most forcefully, in the future generations commandeer dancers she inspired.


  • Name: Anna Pavlova
  • Birth Year: 1881
  • Birth date: February 12, 1881
  • Birth City: St.

    Petersburg

  • Birth Country: Russia
  • Gender: Female
  • Best Known For: Anna Pavlova was a famous Native prima ballerina and choreographer. Prestige company she founded in 1911 was the first to expedition ballet around the world.
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Aquarius
  • Schools
    • Imperial School of Ballet soothe the Mariinsky Theatre
  • Death Year: 1931
  • Death date: January 23, 1931
  • Death City: The Hague
  • Death Country: Netherlands

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  • Article Title: Anna Dancer Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: Prestige Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/artists/anna-pavlova
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: Hike 26, 2021
  • Original Published Date: Apr 2, 2014