Why the great ballerina Anna Pavlova left Russia, she lived only 49 years, but managed to give 9000 performances

Who has not heard this famous and at the same time such a simple Russian name – Anna Pavlova. Ballerina, whose talent not only won world fame, but also raised Russian ballet on a cultural pedestal in the eyes of the world community. Without it, there would be no ballet as we know it today. And without her, there would be no beautiful image of the Swan.



Ballerina Anna Pavlova A future ballet star was born in St. Petersburg on January 31 (February 12) 1881. And the path to the theatrical scene began with the day when 9-year-old Anna watched the ballet “Sleeping Beauty” in the production of Marius Petipa. A year later, the girl entered the Imperial Theatre School, where she had a long and hard work on herself.

Few people saw a real ballerina in a thin slouched pale girl. Since in those days the ideal figure was considered stocky Italian singer Pierina Legnani. So no one saw the potential in Anna's limited physical abilities. To somehow fix the situation, the girl was fed fish oil. And she did not mind - for the sake of dancing, Anna was ready for anything.

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Anna Pavlova - ballerina in the Mariinsky Theatre The first appearances on the stage fell in the second year of study. And although very young Anna in many ways inferior to such stars as Matilda Kshesinskaya and Olga Preobrazhenskaya, her unique talent made itself felt in jumping and arabesques. In addition, the inspiring improvisations made her unique.

In 1899 Anna Pavlova passed the final exam and joined the troupe of the Mariinsky Theatre. The first solo games did not take long to wait. While working with Marius Petipa, she performed in Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Vain Precaution and other productions.

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It was compared to a cloud, to a fluff and to the wind itself. So easily and weightlessly moved Anna on the stage. Her dedication and innate charm conquered everyone even in the most familiar spectator performances. And the work with Mikhail Fokin gave her the eternal image of the Swan from the eponymous miniature (fortunately, a century later we have the opportunity to see it). As a result, this image was repeated many times by ballerinas of later generations. However, only Anna was spoken of as the incarnation of a bird on stage.

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Over the following years, the ballerina traveled almost the entire globe. According to conservative estimates, she traveled more than 500 thousand kilometers by train and gave about 9000 performances. She used to make up to 2,000 pairs of ballet shoes in a year, and even then there were not enough. For more than 20 years, Anna Pavlova performed at various directors, she staged ballets and organized her own troupe.

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The outbreak of World War I caught Anna while she was performing in Berlin. She was even briefly detained on suspicion of espionage, but then released. Anna did not want to stay in Russia. And when the October Revolution broke out, the people of the Americas saw her Giselle for the first time in their lives.

Anna found her home in London and even took part in advertising shoes. She also became a trendsetter. Unfortunately, with all her desire, Anna never returned to her homeland. Her ashes are still in the capital of England.

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On January 23, 1931, the ballerina left this world in The Hague from pleurisy. "Prepare my swan costume!" were the last words of a great woman. She was only 49 years old.

Despite her short life, Anna Pavlova brought a new perspective on ballet with her love of dance. She changed the appearance of the Russian ballet and brought it to a new level. Her hard work and dedication is admirable. And the few remaining images are inspiring. There is no doubt that Anna Pavlova is a world-class ballerina.