So you think you can ........

Anna Pavlova

legendary performer / The Dying Swan / dance films

(1881-1931)

Anna Pavlova was one of the most important ballerinas of the 20th century and was a legend even during her own lifetime. She began her career dancing at the Maryinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg and was the first dancer to tour outside of Czarist Russia.

Unlike the more voluptuous and muscular female dancers of her generation, Pavlova was slender and fragile-looking. Her lyricism and grace garnered numerous comparisons to the 19th century ballerina Marie Taglioni. In 1907, Michel Fokine choreographedThe Dying Swan for Pavlova and it became one of her most celebrated roles.

Pavlova performed with Les Ballets Russes during its 1909 season in Paris. A few years later, she established her own company and toured the world on an ambitious and tireless schedule that helped to establish new international audiences for ballet. She also appeared in the silent film The Dumb Girl of Portici (1915). The Immortal Swan, a film released in 1956, was a compilation of clips showing Pavlova dancing in the 1920s.