Anna Matveyevna Pavlova

Anna Matveyevna Pavlova , 1881-1931, Russian ballerina. In 1892 she entered the Imperial Ballet School, St. Petersburg. She made her debut in 1899 at the Maryinsky Theatre, but it was only after tours to Scandinavia (1907) and to Berlin and Vienna (1908) that she gained fame. In Paris, Pavlova danced (1909) with Nijinsky in Diaghilev's Ballet Russe; she made her American debut in 1910. Thereafter, until her death, she toured extensively with her own company, working for the first year in partnership with Mikhail Mordkin. Pavlova, considered the greatest ballerina of her time, excelled in Giselle, Chopiniana, and especially in The Dying Swan, choreographed for her by Michel Fokine . Her repertoire included 23 ballets and 80 divertissements. Pavlova's perfect classical technique and ethereal quality brought her universal acclaim.

Bibliography: See biographies by A. H. Franks et al. (1956), O. Kerensky (1973), and J. and R. Lazzarini (1981).

Pavlova, Anna (1881–1931) Russian ballerina who made her debut in 1899. She toured in Europe and the USA, and left Russia in 1913 to tour with her own company. She excelled in Giselle, The Dragonfly, Autumn Leaves, and the Dying Swan, choreographed for her by Michel Fokine in 1905.