Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Official website of the State –
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The great Russian ballerina was born on February 12, 1881. In early childhood, Pavlova was impressed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's famous work, The Sleeping Beauty, and fell in love with ballet.
She was rejected from the Imperial Ballet School on her first attempt – she was too weak and sickly. But on her second attempt, Marius Petipa, one of the greatest masters of classical ballet, looked at her and uttered a prophetic phrase: "A feather in the wind. It will fly." At just 10 years old, she was accepted, and her students included such outstanding dancers as Ekaterina Vyazem, Alexander Oblakov, Pavel Gerdt, Evgenia Sokolova, and Marius Petipa. Studying at the school was challenging. Anna Pavlova was completely unfit for the standards of a ballerina of the time, being petite and frail. The strain on her young body was colossal: she had to rise at 8 a.m. and work hard both in class and in rehearsals in the dance halls. In addition to classical pas, the program included the minuet, mazurka, Hungarian dance, and Italian and Spanish dances. To improve her health, her teachers gave Anna cod liver oil.
After graduating from the academy with a gold medal in 1899, the very young ballerina joined the Mariinsky Theatre. There, Pavlova immediately attracted attention. While many aspiring dancers began in the corps de ballet, on September 19 of that year, she was already dancing in Jean Dauberval's La Fille Mal Gardée. It was her debut: the audience was delighted, and critics predicted a great future for the new star.
Pavlova's subsequent solo roles included Carmen, Giselle, King Candaules, The Awakening of Flora, Don Quixote, The Pharaoh's Daughter, Swan Lake, Raymonda, and Le Corsaire, as well as productions by her friend and classmate, the talented choreographer Michel Fokine. It was he who created the miniature "The Swan" for Pavlova, which became a hallmark of Russian ballet worldwide. She performed this dance over 4,000 times worldwide, and each performance was unique in its own way.
The prima ballerina remained with the Mariinsky Theatre until 1913, becoming a touring performer in her final three years. Sergei Diaghilev's "Russian Seasons" captivated Europe, and Anna Pavlova became widely known abroad. She later abandoned her collaboration with the impresario and formed her own company. This led to Pavlova's relationship with Diaghilev deteriorating. The ballerina did not cancel her tour at his request and began performing independently in the finest theaters around the world, visiting more than 40 countries: America, China, Australia, India, Japan, Peru, Egypt, Argentina, New Zealand, Cuba, South Africa, the Philippines, and elsewhere.
Anna Pavlova never returned to Russia. According to one version, in 1910, her lover, Victor Dandre, was put on trial for embezzlement. The ballerina helped him escape, paid a hefty fine of 36,000 rubles, and followed him to England. Victor's return to his homeland was blocked, so Anna decided to stay together. Later, in a conversation with Vertinsky, she admitted that she missed him:
"It's terrible, my friend, terrible! I'm so sad I can't sleep, I cry, I have headaches, I despair! I'm freezing in this cold and foreign country. I'd give anything, without a second thought, for a little dacha with our Russian grass and birch trees, somewhere near Moscow or Petrograd."
The life of the world-famous ballerina was full of events, here are some interesting facts:
Pavlova was very close to animals and found common ground with them easily. She once danced with a snake on her arm, hand-fed a bear sugar, and even adopted a swan, which became tame, lay at her feet, and posed for photographs. In exile, she couldn't part with Russian food. Anna's personal chef prepared buckwheat, cutlets, sturgeon, and other dishes for her. She also set a large table for Christmas and Easter, and a Russian woman who had come to Australia from Siberia helped her get kulichi for the last holiday of her tour. Charlie Chaplin, the famous comedian, was a fan of Pavlova. They met in person in North America and even took a group photo. Pavlova treated her troupe with great care, and according to one of its members, "she would personally draw a grid of iodine on the ankle of one of the dancers, and then send her for a special massage." The ballerina paid a penalty of 21,000 rubles for leaving the Mariinsky Theater. For comparison, a teacher's monthly salary at the time was about 85 rubles. A famous meringue dessert, as delicate and fragile as the ballerina herself, is named after Anna Pavlova.
Anna Pavlova was a living legend, known in every corner of the world. The ballerina died on January 23, 1931, in The Hague. She fell seriously ill during a tour and passed away literally on stage. According to one legend, her last words were, "Bring me my swan costume." Her talent and unique sensuality inspired and continue to delight not only audiences but also the world's leading ballerinas who perform her repertoire today.
Subscribe to the "Our GUU" Telegram channel. Publication date: February 12, 2026.
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