The tragic love story of Anna Pavlova. Ballerina Anna Pavlova: she loved only once and did not run away from an early death
Biography and episodes of life Anna Pavlova. When born and died Anna Pavlova, memorable places and dates of important events in her life. Ballerina Quotes, Photo and video.
Years of Anna Pavlova's life:
born January 31, 1881, died January 23, 1931
Epitaph
“Wait a minute,
Running tirelessly
To bow to the one
What was called Anna."
From a poem by Eric Willis in memory of Anna Pavlova (translated by T. Yufit)
Biography
She devoted her life to ballet and became famous throughout the world. Surprisingly, her first teachers were sure that the girl was not created for the difficult ballet school, but Anna managed to prove to everyone that if you work hard and live what you love, success is inevitable. The biography of Anna Pavlova is the life story of a great woman, whose name is known to any ballet fan.
As a child, Pavlova's life was not easy - she did not even know who her father was, and her mother could barely make ends meet. But despite the difficult situation, one day, to please her daughter, Pavlova’s mother took her to see “The Sleeping Beauty” at the Mariinsky Theater. Later in her autobiography, Pavlova recalled that she froze from the very first notes - the ballet enchanted her. That evening she realized what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. The first who saw talent in Pavlova was the great choreographer Marius Petipa: “A piece of fluff in the wind - it will fly on stage.” Immediately after graduating from college, Pavlova was accepted into the Mariinsky Theater, which once decided her fate, and soon became its leading dancer. When she first performed the miniature “Swan” (“The Dying Swan”) at a charity evening, she could not even guess that these 130 seconds of dance would later become a symbol of Russian ballet. The composer Camille Saint-Saëns himself, the author of the suite “Carnival of the Animals”, from which “The Swan” was based, wished to meet with Pavlova to make a confession: “Madame, thanks to you, I realized that I wrote beautiful music!” World fame came to Pavlova’s life with her participation in the “Russian Seasons”, which was organized in Paris by Sergei Diaghilev, a Russian theater figure. Soon Anna went on tour around the world with her own troupe. When a revolution occurred in Russia, and then a civil war began, Pavlova decided not to return to her homeland.
By the time Pavlova finally moved abroad, she already had a loved one, Victor Dandre. Pavlova loved him for a long time, but the rich man and aristocrat did not reciprocate her feelings. When Dandre got into trouble and lost all his money, Pavlova, according to rumors, decided to sign a contract with the New York theater. She rescued her beloved from prison, and he finally saw a loving woman in her and also sincerely fell in love with her. Pavlova and Dandre bought a house in the suburbs of London, in the pond of which white swans swam, one of which, named Jack, was always waiting for his owner from her long tours.
The Russian ballerina toured tirelessly. During her life, Anna Pavlova traveled almost the whole world, visiting America, China, Japan, India, the Philippines and even Australia. The costumes for her performances were created by the most famous artists, women imitated her style of dressing, and her fees were fabulous. And she continued to yearn for Russia. And although she could not return there, she constantly sent money to Russian theater troupes and food to her starving compatriots.
Pavlova's death occurred during her next tour - in The Hague. Pavlova's cause of death was pneumonia. Anna Pavlova's funeral took place in London - first, Pavlova's body was buried in a Russian church, then it was burned in a London crematorium. Pavlova's grave, in accordance with her will, was supposed to be in Russia. But the husband prevented the ballerina from fulfilling her will, declaring, however, that he was not against Pavlova’s burial in her homeland if they promised to create the proper conditions for this. One way or another, the urn with Pavlova’s ashes is still kept in the columbarium of the English crematorium.
The miniature “The Dying Swan” performed by Pavlova has become a classic of world ballet
Life line
January 31, 1881 Date of birth of Anna Pavlovna (Matveevna) Pavlova.
1889 Graduation from the Imperial Theater School, joining the Mariinsky Theater troupe.
1906 Leading dancer of the troupe.
1907 The first performance of Pavlova's miniature "Swan", which later became one of the symbols of Russian ballet.
1909 Pavlova’s participation in the “Russian Seasons” in Paris.
1910 Pavlova tours abroad with her own troupe.
1913 Pavlova's last performance at the Mariinsky Theater.
1914 Pavlova's last performance in Russia.
1921-1925 Touring the USA, performing in India.
January 23, 1931 Date of death of Pavlova.
January 29, 1931 Pavlova's funeral.
Memorable places
1. Ligovo, where Pavlova was born.
2. Pavlova's house in St. Petersburg, where she lived in 1910 and where Pavlova's memorial plaque is installed today. Italianskaya street, 5.
3. Pavlova’s house in London (Ive House), where she lived in 1912-1931.
4. Academy of Russian Ballet named after A. Ya. Vaganova (former Imperial Theater School), where Pavlova studied.
5. Mariinsky Theater, in whose troupe Pavlova danced.
6. The Metropolitan Opera Theater in New York, with which Pavlova worked under contract.
7. Theater Chatelet in Paris, where Pavlova performed while participating in the Russian Seasons.
8. Golders Green Crematorium in London, where Pavlova is buried (the urn with the ashes is kept in the crematorium columbarium).
Episodes of life
Anna Pavlova was friends with Charlie Chaplin. It was rumored that the great comedian and director was in love with the ballerina and dreamed of proposing to her, but never dared. When they met, Chaplin booked an entire restaurant for Pavlova. He also acted as a consultant to the ballerina when she needed to record her performances on film.
Dying, Pavlova asked everyone to leave the room, only the maid remained with her. The ballerina nodded to the girl at the dress she had recently bought from a fashionable Parisian couturier and said: “I would rather spend this money on my children.” Pavlova never had children; she talked about Russian orphan girls whom she had long ago taken into care. She organized a women's shelter in Saint-Cloud, placing the children in a mansion. Since then, most of her earnings have gone towards giving the girls not just shelter and food, but also an education. She also made sure that each of her pupils could get a decent job after leaving the orphanage.
When Anna Pavlova's death became known on January 23, London's Apollo Theater decided to honor her during a performance. The lights in the hall were turned off, and a spotlight in the darkness, accompanied by the music of Saint-Saëns, traced the path that the ballerina took in her miniature “The Dying Swan.” The whole hall stood up silently - the whole world already knew about the death of the great ballerina.
Covenant
“If you pursue the same goal, you are sure to discover the secret of success.”
Documentary film in memory of Anna Pavlova from the series “Life and Legends”
Condolences
“If we look at her famous recording of The Dying Swan, we can, of course, notice that now ballerinas are more technical, perhaps even more beautiful, they look different... But I think that the awe that was inherent in Anna Pavlova , today not a single ballerina has. Even among the greatest and most famous. She managed to convey both the era and some kind of spiritual inner state in her dance. And I am sure that any ballerina, looking at her recordings today and comparing them with her own dance, will understand that something is still missing. And this “something” is something elusive, some kind of inner strength that was inherent only to this ballerina. So, despite all the progress, there is something inexplicable in the dance of people of the past, which, unfortunately, we may no longer find ... "
Evgenia Obraztsova, ballerina
“Anna Pavlova’s art was born and died with her - to dance like Pavlova, you had to be Pavlova.”
Andrey Levinson, ballet critic
“Pavlova managed to raise live dance to a height where only the spirit usually soars.”
Marina Tsvetaeva, poetess
Anna Pavlovna Pavlova (Matveevna) (1881-1931), Russian ballerina. From 1899 at the Mariinsky Theater, in 1909 she participated in the Russian Seasons (Paris), and from 1910 she toured with her own troupe in many countries of the world (1913-1914 in Russia). She established the traditions of the Russian dance school abroad. She performed in the main roles of the classical repertoire; She became famous in the choreographic sketch “The Dying Swan” to the music of C. Saint-Saens.
Anna Pavlovna Pavlova (according to other sources, Matveevna), Russian ballerina with whom classical ballet of the 20th century began; teacher, director, producer. Zodiac sign - Aquarius.
A true artist must sacrifice herself to her art.
Like a nun, she has no right to lead a life
desirable for most women.
Pavlova Anna Pavlovna
First steps in ballet
Anna Pavlova was born into the family of a soldier and a washerwoman (according to other sources, the illegitimate daughter of a Jewish banker). At the age of five, Pavlova saw the ballet “The Sleeping Beauty” at the Mariinsky Theater, which decided her fate. In 1891 she entered the ballet department of the St. Petersburg Theater School, where she studied with E. O. Vazem and P. A. Gerdt. In 1899, after graduating from college, she was accepted into the corps de ballet of the Imperial Ballet of the Mariinsky Theater.
Tall, slender, with elongated arms and legs with a high instep, in her youth Anna Pavlova did not master virtuoso technique, did not have a “steel toe”. To perform the parts created by M. I. Petipa for Italian virtuosos, Pavlova studied privately with E. Cecchetti in St. Petersburg and with C. Beretta in Milan. In 1906 she became a ballerina, although she had previously performed ballerina roles - Nikia in La Bayadère (1902), Giselle (1903), Paquita and Medora in The Corsair (1904), Kitri in Don Quixote (1905). At the same time, the airy, “sylph” Pavlova, thanks to her natural temperament, danced with great success the Spanish and demi-character parts of the classical repertoire (street dancer in Don Quixote, panaderos in Raymond).
Beauty does not tolerate amateurism.
Pavlova Anna Pavlovna
Commonwealth with Fokin
The ballerina's individuality, her dancing style, and her soaring jump prompted her partner, the future famous choreographer Mikhail Mikhailovich Fokin, to create “Chopiniana” to the music of Fryderyk Chopin (1907). These are stylizations in the spirit of elegant, animated engravings from the era of romanticism. In this ballet she danced the Mazurka and the Seventh Waltz with Vaslav Nijinsky (Youth). Pavlova’s flying arabesque was immortalized by artist Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov on the poster for the first “Russian Seasons” in Paris (1909).
Anna Pavlova was not only an excellent actress of psychological theater who offered a new interpretation of the classical roles of 19th century ballets, but also a neo-romantic ballerina with a keen sense of the stylistic features of each production. For her, Fokine composed the famous “The Dying Swan” to the music of C. Saint-Saens. She danced in his “Pavilion of Armida” by N. N. Tcherepnin, in “Egyptian Nights” (both 1907). Without thinking about innovation or overthrowing the aesthetics of the past, with just her appearance and manner of dancing she reformed ballet and changed the attitude towards it throughout the world.
When I wandered among the pines as a child, I thought that success was happiness. I was wrong. Happiness is a butterfly that enchants for a moment and flies away.
Pavlova Anna Pavlovna
Self-centered, very hard-working, despite her external vulnerability, enterprising - after her triumphs in Paris in 1910, Anna Pavlova, at the head of her own troupe, went on a round-the-world ballet tour, performing in the most remote corners of the world with such magnificent Muscovite partners as M. M. Mordkin ( with whom Pavlova was in an intimate relationship for several years) and L.L. Novikov. Her husband V. Dandre became the producer and administrator of the troupe (for some time they hid their matrimonial relationship). Not only Russian performers danced in the troupe.
In recent years
In 1912, Anna Pavlova, having settled in England, bought the Ivy House house (in Hampstead, in one of the districts of London), where she spent a short vacation. She adored animals, birds, flowers, of which there were always many in her house. In her studio, the ballerina began teaching English children the art of ballet; later they became part of her troupe (she did not have her own children). Longing for the big classical performances of the imperial stage, during endless tours she was forced to dance miniatures or small ballets, which were composed or renewed for her by choreographer N. I. Khlyustin (“Coppelia”, “Vain Precaution”, “Frescoes of Ajanta”, “Fairy” dolls”, “Gavotte”, Russian dance, etc.), Pavlova staged for herself a number of impressionistic, simple-minded numbers that made a huge impression only in her soulful and elegant performance (“California Poppy”, “Chrysanthemum”, “Autumn Leaves”, “ Japanese Butterfly”, “Dying Rose”, etc.). Many of Anna Pavlova's miniatures were created under the influence of the dances of the peoples of the world, which she was interested in during her numerous travels. This fragile-looking woman was tireless. She acted in films, in particular, she played Fenella in the silent film “The Mute of Porticci” (1930). The film footage of Pavlova in “The Dying Swan” is rare. This was her favorite number. “Prepare my Swan costume,” she said before her death, trying to cross herself, as if before going on stage. It is symbolic that she passed away at the age of 50 as a world celebrity at the end of her career. She didn't need life without dancing.
An artist must know everything about love and learn to live without it.
Pavlova Anna Pavlovna
Anna Pavlova is unique. She had no high-profile titles, left neither followers nor school. After her death, her troupe was disbanded and her property was sold off. All that remains is the legend of the great Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, after whom prizes and international awards are named. Feature films and documentaries are dedicated to her (Anna Pavlova, 1983 and 1985). The French choreographer R. Petit staged the ballet “My Pavlova” to composite music. Numbers from her repertoire are danced by the world's leading ballerinas. And Pavlov’s “The Dying Swan” was immortalized by Galina Ulanova, Ivet Shovir, and Maya Plisetskaya. V. A. Mainietse, encyclopedia Cyril and Methodius
Anna Pavlova - “Russian ballerina, performed at the Mariinsky Theater. Participated in the Russian Seasons in Paris. Toured with her own troupe in many countries around the world. Performed in the main roles of the classical repertoire; became famous in the choreographic sketch “The Dying Swan” to the music of K. Sen -Sansa.
Fairy tales sometimes do become reality, no matter what the skeptics say. The story of a ballerina, the daughter of a washerwoman and a retired soldier, miraculously ascended to the pinnacle of fame, wealth and success - no matter how festive a story, recognized to give us hope for the mercy and grace of Providence. But this plot is a true diagram of the life of the brilliant ballerina Anna Pavlova. The scheme - because everything magical and simple only happens in a fairy tale.
Little is known about Anna Pavlova’s childhood. The ballerina’s favorite memory was a sweet story about how at the age of eight, on Christmas Day, Nyura’s mother (that was the family’s name for her daughter) took her daughter to the Mariinsky Theater to see the ballet “The Sleeping Beauty.” Of course, this was an epoch-making event not only in the life of poor Nyura, but also, as it turned out later, in the history of ballet, for the girl immediately decided that she would dance and certainly be the best.
The outstanding Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova is remembered by fans of 20th century ballet as a strong personality with an amazing biography. The gifted star caused huge demand for perfume called Pavlova, which was sold out throughout the vast country. Then Manila shawls came into fashion, which the famous artist adored.
But a creatively successful woman who won the hearts of the people was never able to find happiness in her private life. The prima donna, whose performances gathered huge halls in more than 40 countries around the world, showed the true essence of the Russian ballet school. Currently, Pavlova’s name is associated with many examples of how to dance on stage. Many ballerinas strive to reach the incredible heights of a prima donna, but at present only Tamara Platonovna Karsavina is compared in terms of technique performance next to Anna Pavlovna.
Decided to become popular
The famous Anna Pavlova Pavlova was born on February 12, 1881 in the city on the Neva. The father of the brilliant ballerina served in the Russian guard and died a few years after the birth of the first and only child in the family. The burden of education falls lightly on the shoulders of Anna’s mother, the laundress Lyubov Fedorovna. The girl Anna decided to enroll in ballet school at the age of 8, but managed to fulfill her dream only at 10, having been inspired by the idea of becoming a famous and popular dancer.
This is exactly the story the artist told the press and fans. But later the girl found out that her father was the banker Lazar Polyakov, for whom Pavlova’s mother served as a maid, acting as a mistress. And then she received “compensation” for which she bought a house and opened her own laundry. But the ballerina’s family still remained poor and could not support the aspiring artist.
In 1899, Pavlova became a graduate of the Imperial Theater School in the center of St. Petersburg, having studied with the masters of the old ballet school. Immediately after receiving her diploma, Anna successfully gave a demonstration performance at the Mariinsky Theater in the city on the Neva. The gifted ballerina began dancing solo from her first days on stage.
The director of the theater saw incredible potential in the girl and decided to hone Pavlova’s precious gift.
Resounding success came to the ballerina almost instantly, after showing the anacreontic ballet in one act “The Awakening of Flora” in a duet with the artist and choreographer Nikolai Fokin. In 1902, Pavlova received her first role, playing the role of Nikiya in the four-act production of La Bayadère. This was followed by new performances, which allowed the girl to reap the first fruits of success.
At the time of 1906, Anna Pavlovna took a confident position among the leading dancers of the famous theater troupe. The ballerina's performances were appreciated by the great choreographer Marius Petipa. And in January 1907, the brilliant Anna performed the miniature “Swan”, staged especially for her by choreographer M. Fokin, later renamed “The Dying Swan”. Next, romantic Paris awaited the ballerina, where the star went to conquer the French by performing a new production at the legendary Chatelet theater.
Involvement in a scandalous story
The year 1909 was just around the corner, and the residents of majestic, cultural St. Petersburg were discussing an incredible scandal. Baron Dandre received a prison sentence for embezzlement of public money, which he spent on satisfying the whims of his kept wife Anna Pavlova. The favorite of social life himself considered the accusations to be erroneous and demanded that the ballerina return to her homeland to testify. Having learned about the scandal that broke out with Victor Emilievich Dandre, the dancer hastily left Paris, despite the fact that she was at the peak of success. But she didn’t go to meet her former patron, but to America.
Successful Anna Matveevna signed a contract with the famous Palace Theater to begin touring the world and then go to London for permanent residence. The ballerina no longer wanted to remain in the shameful fate of the rich baron’s mistress, who was fully supported by him, and decided to achieve recognition on her own by starting to earn a living on her own.
After all, at a certain moment, the dancer realized that she was no match for the noble baron, who decided to marry another woman despite his feelings for Pavlova.
Anna Matveevna and dance partner Mikhail Mordkin went on tour together. However, soon the friendly relations quickly began to decline. The selfish Mordkin could not come to terms with the fact that most of the fame goes to Pavlova, as a woman admired by the male public. Then the famous dancer began to go crazy, often talking to a portrait of his former partner, who was dressed in a ballerina's skirt and shawl.
Unusual turn of events
Pavlova’s ex-lover was sentenced to several years in prison, which could be annulled if the baron paid the stolen amount to the Russian treasury, the fact of involvement in the theft of which was proven in court. But Dandre could not afford such luxury, and the friends and relatives of the rich womanizer chose to stay away from someone else’s misfortune. Anna Matveevna, who learned about the unpleasant state of affairs of her ex-lover, contributed the required amount. Thus, according to the ballerina, she paid off her debt to Victor Dandre.
Then the baron suddenly disappeared from St. Petersburg. Later it turned out that the famous reveler went to London to visit the loving and forgiving Pavlova, who soon became his legal wife. After such a loud scandal, the young family did not have the opportunity to return to their homeland, where society condemned the relationship between a man of noble blood and a rootless dancer, who under no circumstances should have become Dandre’s wife.
In subsequent years, Anna Pavlova managed to achieve incredible success in her career as a ballerina, becoming a recognizable world-class artist and earning capital that even noble Russian gentlemen could not dream of. But on January 17, 1931, disaster happened. The ballet prima donna, who arrived in The Hague, caught a serious cold after a rehearsal, and soon the illness developed into a severe form of pneumonia.
Doctors suggested cutting out one rib to pump out accumulated fluid in the lungs, but husband Victor refused the operation, arguing that Pavlova would not be able to dance tomorrow.
On January 23, 1931, instead of a concert, a farewell to the legendary Pavlova took place. They painted a silhouette of a swan on the theater stage and turned on the music of Saint-Saëns, turning off the lights in the entire hall, but leaving the spotlight on the stage. Later, Baron Victor's ashes were placed next to Anne's urn in Golders Green, London.
Have you seen Anna's performances?
Anna Lazarevna Pavlova is a legend of Russian ballet. She was worshiped, admired and idolized.
Only Maya Plesetskaya could repeat her dance of the dying white swan. Her whole life was subordinated to ballet.
She abandoned her family for the sake of art. Anna believed that a ballerina, like a nun, should serve the stage and have no distractions.
Childhood and studies
There is different information regarding the date of birth of the great ballerina. According to some sources, she was born on January 31, and according to others, on February 12, 1881.
According to documents, Anna was born into the family of a washerwoman, Lyubov Fedorovna Pavlova, and a peasant who served as a simple soldier, Matvey Pavlovich.
However, another version has become more widespread.
The girl became the illegitimate fruit of love between a rich landowner and her mother, who worked for them at one time as a maid.
Anna in childhood
Banker Lazar Polyakov could not recognize the baby as his daughter; this would have caused irreparable damage to his reputation.
However, he allowed me to give her his middle name. So Anna was recorded in the documents as Lazarevna, but with her mother’s surname - Pavlova.
The girl was born premature. Due to poor health, she grew thin, had pale skin and was often sick.
The first years of his life, he and his mother lived in a small village in the clean air near St. Petersburg.
Their life was poor, but the mother sometimes tried to spoil the girl.
The most amazing event that changed the little girl’s whole life was a visit to the Mariinsky Theater.
Mom bought tickets to the play “Sleeping Beauty”. The girl was fascinated by the actions on stage. And from then on, all her thoughts were focused on ballet.
At the age of 8, Anna was taken to the entrance examination to the ballet school, but the teachers recommended that she come back after 2 years.
In 1891, the girl was accepted into the ballet school. The discipline there was very strict.
Ballet classes alone lasted 8 hours every day.
However, even then Anna Pavlova showed a fighting spirit.
She tried to be the best, although due to poor health it was difficult for her to endure such colossal loads.
During their studies, the royal family came to visit them at the school. Anna, together with other students, then appeared on stage for the first time in front of such an important audience.
In 1898 16-year-old Anna graduated from college with honors and the title of “first dancer.”
My graduation role was the role of the butler’s daughter in the play “Imaginary Dryads.”
Becoming a ballerina
The young graduate immediately joined the Mariinsky Theater. For the first time on the big stage she performed in a threesome dance in the ballet “Vain Precaution”.
After 2 years, she was entrusted with dancing the central role in the production of “Pharaoh’s Daughter” to the music of Caesar Pugni.
A little later, Anna Pavlova received an offer to dance the role of Nikia from Marius Petipa, who staged La Bayadère.
In 1903 she danced the role of Giselle in the ballet of the same name.
Beginning of the 20th century was marked by innovative ideas and reforms in ballet art. Choreographer Mikhail Fokin was an active supporter of change.
Anna Pavlova became the first to participate in M. Fokin's productions. He became her new teacher.
She danced parts in his productions such as “Eunika”, “Chopiniana”, “Egyptian Nights”.
However, the most outstanding fruit of their collaboration was the ballet “The Dying Swan”, which featured music by C. Saint-Saëns.
Anna performed this part almost completely improvised. And this dance became a symbol and masterpiece of all ballet art.
The composer himself, who was present at the performance of this ballet, was shocked by the modern interpretation of his music and how the ballerina was able to convey this range of feelings through dance.
So fame came to Anna Pavlova and they began to say about her: “God himself lives in her dance.”
World fame and foreign tours
In 1907, the Mariinsky Theater went on tour abroad to Stockholm. The performances there were a great success.
However, Anna wanted freedom of action and independence in decision-making.
In 1909 she herself staged the play “Rubinstein’s Night”. The audience greeted this dance monologue about crazy passionate love with applause.
Then the ballerina, deafened by success, decides to leave the theater. The theater did not want to let go of its prima, and Anna compromises.
She signs a contract only to participate in some of her most beloved performances.
But the idea of creating her own mobile troupe and announcing Russian ballet to the whole world does not leave the great ballerina.
In 1910, she paid the theater a large penalty for premature termination of the contract and went “free swimming.”
She began independent tours with her own troupe with resounding success in France and England.
In Moscow she appeared on the stage of the Mirror Theater, installed in the Hermitage Garden. Then a long tour of Europe is organized.
Afterwards, Anna amazed audiences in the USA, Chile, Brazil and Argentina with her ballet.
In each country, the ballerina loved to study local dance traditions. Then she included them in her ballet performances.
Anna Pavlova's ballet troupe was the only one whose repertoire included oriental motifs, African and Indian movements.
In Australia, the dancers were so captivated by the grace and lightness of the ballet steps that they came up with an airy dessert in her honor and called it “Pavlova”.
In many English cities, monuments were erected depicting the Russian ballet prima.
Personal life
The young, rising ballet “star” was seen at a performance by the wealthy, influential businessman Victor Dandre.
He was a descendant of a famous noble family, so he had a good education and knew several languages.
He was flattered by his courtship of a girl whose talent even the royals admired. However, he did not even think about marriage.
Victor became the ballerina's patron. He rented a cozy apartment for her with a personal dance class, took her to chic restaurants and gave her expensive gifts.
With Victor Dandre
Anna soon realized that this relationship had no future. They were not equal in social status, and the ballerina broke off their romance.
She plunged headlong into work and touring. And Victor began to have a “black” streak.
He became bankrupt, owed a large amount of money and was unable to repay the debt. A lawsuit was filed against him.
The businessman was sent to prison and a bail amount was set, which his relatives could not raise.
Anna Pavlova learned that her lover was in prison while on tour in Paris.
She sent the required amount for bail and called Victor to her place.
The entrepreneur had to secretly leave Russia, since he was under recognizance not to leave and did not have a passport.
In Paris in 1911, young people secretly got married in a church. Anna made Victor promise that he would not tell anyone about their marriage.
In London they settled in their own mansion, near which there was a pond with swans.
Subsequently, Victor Dandre became the organizer of her touring life. He handled accounting, housekeeping, held business meetings, and was responsible for everyday matters.
Last dance and death
Ballerina, posters for which were drawn by Valentin Serov himself. The main person of the Russian Seasons in Paris. The most mysterious dancer of the twentieth century.
A biography, the authenticity of which was known only to the ballerina herself. Matveevna or Pavlovna? The daughter of a retired soldier of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, Matvey Pavlov, or a major Moscow banker, Lazar Polyakov? The great dancer wrote an autobiography, but more and more not about the fact that she was born in the dacha village of Ligovo near St. Petersburg, and her childhood, the main impression of which was trips to the Mariinsky Theater. Anna Pavlova wrote about the main thing in her life - a revived inspiration, whose name is ballet.
Nine-year-old Anya seemed to wake up after the premiere of The Sleeping Beauty staged by Petipa. Shy and soft by nature, the girl almost for the first time expressed a firm decision - to devote her life to dance.
Hunched back, anemia, fragile health. The Imperial Ballet School could not have imagined that this “delicate flower” would survive the harsh ballet school. “Fluff, lightness, wind,” said the famous Marius Petipa at the screening. The commission enrolled the girl, and she became a favorite student of teachers Ekaterina Vazem and Alexander Oblakov. Ekaterina Ottovna gave her fish oil and achieved strong legs and “talking” hands.
“One is born a dancer. No teacher can create a miracle, no years of training can make a good dancer out of a mediocre student. One can acquire certain technical skills, but no one can ever “acquire exceptional talent.” I never consoled myself with the fact that I had an unusually gifted student. Pavlova has one teacher - God."
George Balanchine
The first appearance on the Mariinsky stage was already in the second year of study in divertissements and small variations. Anna Pavlova was inferior in technique to Matilda Kshesinskaya, Olga Preobrazhenskaya, and Tamara Karsavina. But in jumps and arabesques with unpredictable improvisation, the fragile ballerina had no equal.
The graduation performance became a ticket to the big stage. Almost immediately, Pavlova received solo roles in The Sleeping Beauty, Esmeralda, and Giselle. The young ballerina worked with Marius Petipa, who so favorably accepted her first public performance - in front of the selection committee.
Anna Pavlova. Photo: marieclaire.ru
Anna Pavlova in the ballet La Sylphide. Photo: radikal.ru
Anna Pavlova. Photo: images.aif.ru
The aspiring artist was not afraid to argue with the master. In the ballet “Vain Precaution”, Pavlova suggested that Petipa replace the usual crinoline skirt with a tunic below the ankle and received consent. “This was courage on my part: custom has not allowed any liberties with a skirt since the time of the most famous Camargo - Voltaire’s favorite!” - the ballerina later recalled.
“Pavlova is a cloud hovering above the earth,” the press wrote. And the dancer just amazed me again and again. She seemed to float across the stage in her most poignant role. Swan. The image that gave the ballerina immortality. Choreographer Nikolai Fokin staged the miniature to the music of Saint-Saëns. Literally impromptu. Anna turned serenity into tragedy. The untimely death of a graceful creature, and like a wound - a ruby brooch.
“The charm of her personality was so great that no matter what dance Pavlova appeared in, she made an indelible impression on the audience. This, to a certain extent, explains the fact that her repertoire consisted of performances in which there was nothing innovative. Pavlova did not set out to create something sensational - she herself was a sensation, although she was hardly aware of it.”
Lavrenty Novikov, scene partner
“Madam, thanks to you, I realized that I wrote wonderful music!” - Saint-Saëns exclaimed when he saw the Dying Swan. The dance became a symbol of the Russian seasons, and Anna Pavlova in the image of the Swan by Valentin Serov became the emblem of a world-famous enterprise. It took the artist 11 sessions to create the famous poster. The ballerina froze in an arabesque almost every minute so that the painter would catch the fleeting movement and convey it on paper.
The European public was able to appreciate the similarities thanks, again, to Pavlova. It was at the suggestion of the already recognized ballerina that Diaghilev added ballet to opera performances in the Russian Seasons. The impresario doubted that the French would like Russian ballet art. But with the light hand of Pavlova, whose participation in the tour was separately stipulated in the contract, the ballet nevertheless became an integral part of the Seasons.
The last time the public at the Mariinsky Theater saw Pavlova perform was in 1913; a year later she settled in England. During the First World War, the ballerina gave performances in favor of the Red Cross, and in the post-war years she sent proceeds from performances at the Metropolitan Opera to Russia for needy artists in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
“How I always regretted that I could not sketch her dancing! It was something unique. She simply lived in it, there is no other way to say it. She was the very soul of the dance. But it’s unlikely that the soul can be expressed in words!”
Natalia Trukhanova, ballerina
The world received the great ballerina not only as part of the Russian seasons. Anna Pavlova and her troupe brought classical ballet to the most remote corners of the world: Egypt, China, Japan, Burma, the Philippines, proving throughout her life that love for art knows no boundaries.
The Dutch developed a variety of tulips in honor of Anna Pavlova, the Mexicans threw sombreros at their feet as a sign of admiration, the Indians showered them with lotus flowers, in Australia they named a cake after the amazing dancer, in the Netherlands - one of the planes. The sophisticated Russian ballerina dictated style to European fashionistas. A la Pavlova: exquisite satin and Manila shawls with tassels. But there is a unique image...
“Get my Swan costume ready!” - according to legend, the last words of the great Anna Pavlova. The ballerina died in The Hague, although all her life she wanted to live “somewhere in Russia.”
