An Interview with Anna Pavlova

By Ellen Ehrsam

EE: What events in you early life made you interested in the arts?

AP: When I was eight years old, my mother gave me a very special Christmas present. She was
going to take me to see the Kirov Ballet perform Sleeping Beauty. I was just in awe throughout
the whole performance. It was such a world of fantasy and magic. After the ballet, my mother
asked me, "Do you want to dance like those lovely people?" I replied, still in my state of mystic,
"No, I want to dance like the Princess Aurora." (Nosotro, Dec 22 2009)
After seeing Sleeping Beauty, I did not give up my dream of dancing at all. Two or so
years later, I was finally old enough to be enrolled in the Vaganova School of Ballet. From then
on, all I thought of was dancing professionally. I knew that I could do it as long as I put in my
best effort. And look at me today. That work must have really paid off (Nosotro, Dec 22 2009).

EE: How did your teachers and parents help you develop your interests and talents you have as a
dancer?

AP: Well, my mother was the one who really sparked my interest in dance. But I also really
admired Enrico Cecchetti, my favorite teacher and mentor. It was only with Enrico’s help that I
was promoted to ballerina with the Mariinsky Theatre in 1905, and prima ballerina in 1906.
Without Enrico’s constant help and encouragement, I would probably still be stuck as a second
soloist (Andros, Nov 1994). What a drag that would have been!
Michel Fokine has also had a huge impact on my terrific career. In 1905, he
choreographed a dance just for me. It is called “The Dying Swan”. The swan character has such
a strong resemblance towards me. We are both so frail and agile. I absolutely love performing
that dance. I just feel such a strong connection to it. I am very grateful to Michel for spending his
time just to help build up my career and showcase my talents (Mercurio, 2010).

EE: What was the world of art like in dance when you first entered it?

AP: When I started dancing with the Mariinsky Theatre, they were absolutely excelling above
all. They had absolutely terrific choreographers who not many people had heard of. Once people
began to see their genius choreography, they told others. The word rapidly spread about how
terrific Marius Petipa and George Balanchine were and that really helped the theatre descend into
glory (Mariinsky, 2010).
Not only did they have marvelous choreographers, but they had an amazing composer.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky was coming up with some absolutely magnificent music, as he still does
today. He composed so many different ballets that the theatre could debut. Some included The
Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, which we now know as great successes. Those ballets are all
from the brilliant mind of Pyotr Tchaikovsky. People came from all over just to see his fantastic
works (Mariinsky, 2010).
EE: How do the major cultural, economic, and political situations going on impact your work?

AP: When World War 1 broke out in Russia, I traveled to the United States and started
performing here. The war made it difficult for me to perform in Russia because not many people
came out to support the shows anymore and that made the companies suffer. Here in the United
States, more people are able to come see my shows because they are not being attacked right
here. I have already performed in all fifty states and have had a blast. I never knew that people
could be so enthusiastic about seeing a ballet performance (Mercurio, 2010).
My favorite memory here in the United States was making my American debut at the
Metropolitan Opera House. The house was sold out. It was amazing to make my American debut
in front of a full house. I also had a wonderful time in New York City. The buildings are just
mesmerizing. They are so tall! I wonder if we can build a place like New York City in Russia
after the war is over (McLean, 2010).

EE: What were the major accomplishments and the methods you used in your art?

AP: I have had two major accomplishments so far. My first accomplishment was becoming a
prima ballerina for the Mariinsky Theatre in 1906 (World Book, 2001). I felt such a sense of
pride in myself after I was told the news. It was just an amazing feeling. My other huge
accomplishment was forming my own ballet company. I love being able to teach others
everything I know and have experienced (Nosotro, Dec 22 2009).
I have certain qualities as a dancer that I like to enhance in my performances. I have a
really good arabesque, and also excellent balance. I like to combine those qualities into my
dances to show off my talent. I wouldn’t want to dance something that would show off my
negative qualities, such as my very weak feet (Mooney, 17 Mar 2009).

EE: What were the key opportunities you had that led to turning points in your life and art?

AP: My best opportunity was being able to travel to America to perform. I feel like people really
got to know about me and see my dancing. It was also fun to perform in different arenas and
theaters. Once I was even able to dance in a bullring! They wanted to have enough seats for
everyone to watch me dance (Mercurio, 2010). It was an incredible experience.
Another great opportunity I had was when I was able to go to the Vaganova School of
Ballet. That was when I was first able to start my official dance training. We had to learn all of
the regular academics you would learn in school, plus ballet and drama. I learned so much from
that school. Probably just about everything I know (Mercurio, 2010).

EE: What personal choices did you make to become successful?

AP: One choice that really helped me to become successful was when I agreed to dance “The
Dying Swan”, which Michel Fokine choreographed for me. It has become kind of like my
signature dance. People say I relate to it really well because I play the emotions of the swan so
strongly (Mercurio, 2010). If I had never danced “The Dying Swan”, people might not have ever
seen how talented I am. I’m very grateful to Michel for giving me this remarkable opportunity.
Another choice I made was to come and travel in the United States once the war broke
out. It would have been very hard for me to remain successful in Russia with all of the chaos that
is happening. Touring across the country has really impacted my life. So many more people have
seen me perform, and I am learning so much from all of my travels. The United States has
become almost like my second home (Mercurio, 2010).

EE: What hardships did you have to overcome in order to be a dancer?

AP: Well, there are really two things. First of all, my family was very poor and broken when I
was young. I was born premature, which kind of frazzled my mother. Although I ended up
surviving birth, those were not the end of the struggles for my family. We were in deep poverty,
and my family had very little to survive on. My father died when I was only two years old. My
mother worked very hard to make my life better. I was able to attend the Vaganova School of
Ballet free of charge. I think that really brightened my mother’s spirits and my own because she
was able to see me do something I loved and didn’t have to worry about the cost (Mercurio,
2010).
A hardship I had to overcome with my dancing was my very week feet. My feet have
very high arches, but they are also very weak. I had trouble dancing in my pointe shoes because I
didn’t have the strength in my feet to stay up on them. So instead of just sitting myself down
from dance, I decided to come up with a new pointe shoe that could hold up my feet. I took a
pointe shoe that was slightly too big and pounded a piece of leather into the shank. It has worked
perfectly for me and I am so glad that I devised that plan. In fact, I still wear my special pointe
shoes now (Minden, 2000).

EE: What kinds of limitations did you run into both as an artist and a person?

AP: I sometimes had difficulty getting into the companies and schools that I wanted to be in
because I was not exactly considered beautiful. Instead of worrying about those who judged my
appearance, I turned my focus to being the best dancer that I could be. I worked constantly to
make sure that I could use my other great qualities to cover my appearance. In the end, the work
really did all pay off. People began to look at my suppleness and ease as a dancer instead of my
outward appearance (Encyclopedia, 2010).
Another limitation I came across was that I could no longer perform in my home country
once the war started. I had to leave if I wanted to remain successful. I decided to come to the
United States and spend some time showcasing my talents. This limitation actually turned out to
be a good thing. I have learned so much from all of my experiences here in the United States and
wouldn’t trade it in for anything (Mercurio, 2010).

EE: What personal stories best illustrate how you became successful as a dancer?

AP: When I was young, I was living in state of poverty. Once I started dancing, I expressed all of
the emotions I experienced as a child in my dancing. I really got into the character I was
portraying and used previous experiences to learn how the character would act. I think that one
reason people enjoy watching me dance is that they can see and depict all of the emotions I
show. This allows them to also feel in the moment of the dance (Mercurio, 2010).
Another personal story would be the time that my mother took me to see my first ballet,
Sleeping Beauty. I was mesmerized by the whole performance. That was when I first knew that I
wanted to dance. I have always held those feelings that I had experienced at the ballet with me to
all of my performances. Whenever I have had a sudden urge to quit dancing, I just remember that
moment I had when I was young and remember that dancing is what I want to do.
 Works Cited

Andros, Dick. "Anna Pavlova." Andros on Ballet. Nov 1994. Web. 6 Mar 2010.
<http://www.michaelminn.net/andros/biographies/pavlova_anna/>.

McLean, Alison. "100 Years Ago Pointe Counterpoint." Smithsonian. Feb 2010: 20. Print.

Mercurio, Malana. "Anna Pavlova: Ballerina Absoluta." WorldandI.com. 2010. The World & I
Online, Web. 7 Mar 2010. <http://www.worldandi.com/subscribers/feature_detail.asp?
num=25259>.

Minden, Eliza. "Anna Pavlova, Great Russian Dancer." Great Russian Women. 2000.
Gaynor Minden, Inc, Web. 7 Mar 2010.
<http://great.russian-women.net/Anna_Pavlova.shtml>.

Mooney, Patty. "Anna Pavlova, Super Star of Ballet." Ezine Articles. 17 Mar 2009.
EzineArticles.com, Web. 7 Mar 2010.
<http://ezinearticles.com/?Anna-Pavlova,-Super-Star-of-Ballet&id=2113209>.

Nosotro, Rit. "Anna Pavlova." Hyper History. 22 Dec 2009. Web. 18 Feb 2010.
<http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b2annapavlova.htm>.

"Anna Pavlova." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2010. Advameg, Inc, Web. 7 Mar 2010.
<http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ni-Pe/Pavlova-Anna.html>.

"Pavlova, Anna." World Book. 2001. 15. Chicago, IL: World Book, Inc, 2001. Print.

"World-known Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet and Opera Theatre 2010." BalletAndOpera.Com. 2010.
Ballet and Opera Ltd., Web. 7 Mar 2010. <http://www.rustrip.com/index.html?
sid=G77IX7r3j06B2tm5x21E&lang=eng&theatre=5&page=catalog>.