The Undying Swan

"The plain was grassy, wild and bare,
Wide, wild, and open to the air,
Which had built up everywhere
An under-roof of doleful gray.
With an inner voice the river ran,
Adown it floated a dying swan,
And loudly did lament.
It was the middle of the day.
Ever the weary wind went on,
And took the reed-tops as it went."

Such were the words of Lord Alfred Tennyson that inspired Michel Fokine to create the timeless solo ballet that would lend its name to one ballerina above all others. "The Dying Swan" portrayed the stubborn struggle of the graceful animal in its dying moment, holding itself up only with the power of an immense love for life. The ballet became an instant classic by the poetic grace of Anna Pavlova, who first performed it in 1905 and who has since been recognized as the world's perhaps most famous ballerina.

Anna Pavlova was born in St. Petersburg, Russia (then-Russian Empire) in 1881, the child of a laundress and an unknown father. The family was poor and Pavlova's mother married a reserve solider to easy the struggle of poverty. Pavlova adopted the last name of her mother's new husband, Matvei Pavlov.

The elegance of the art of ballet moved Anna Pavlova early in life. When she was eight her mother took her to see the ballet "The Sleeping Beauty" at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre. According to biographies, the extravagant performance touched the young girl deeply. Convinced that dancing was what she wanted to do in life she auditioned for the Imperial School of Ballet immediately. Although rejected at first because of her appearance, her body structure being too frail compared to other ballerinas, she was accepted two years later at the age of ten.

The Imperial School of Ballet offered a highly coveted education for classical dancers. It was financially supported by czar Alexander III, and gave its students lifelong material protection, given that they displayed complete physical dedication. For the less-than-fortunate Pavlova this in itself was a dream, although the money was hardly necessary. It was evident from early on that she was a passionate and dedicated dancer. Her favorite teacher was Marius Petipa, the same man that had produced "The Sleeping Beauty" that she had gone to see, and he saw great promise young Pavlova and the awkwardness of her grace that her "disabilities" provided.

Anna Pavlova was not exactly a beautiful girl compared to her competition at the school, and she was often taunted for this. Her ankles were narrow and her limbs long, and her physique was frail and unflattering. However, being able to arch her feet in extreme angles, her daintiness and a natural suppleness of her body gave her a unique quality of poetic beauty. At first Pavlova attempted to play down her flaws and copy the styles of the other ballerinas. This angered her teachers, who encouraged her to make use of her delicate muscles and develop them into assets. Pavlova took their advice, something which would eventually lead to great fame.

During her time at school, Anna Pavlova was given many solos and her greatness began to emerge, visible now to the ballet-goers of St. Petersburg. At the age of eighteen Pavlova graduated from the school and was by that time deemed skilled enough to belong to the class of perfection among Russian ballerinas. Her disregard for the perfected beauty that had been the chief goal of dancers up to this point and poetic oddity earned her spots in many big ballets, including "The Sleeping Beauty". It was during this time, also, that she and Michel Fokine collaborated in the production of "The Dying Swan" - a dance which became a trademark of Anna Pavlova.

The unusual rising star shot through ranks quickly, and in 1906 she earned the title prima ballerina after her performance in Giselle. Her audience seemed enchanted by the dramatic intensity of her dances. Soon the acclaimed dancer felt confident enough to try her style abroad. She founded her own company that would fund her in her travels, a new level of innovation on the ballerina’s part. She started off in Europe, but soon extended her travels to Asia, North and South America. She would choreograph her own pieces, which were received with great praise at home as well as in many countries abroad. While the many cultures she visited inspired her choreographic for the remainder of her career, she always remained faithful to the classical style ballet that had turned a young girl's disadvantages into a thriving new take on the genre.

Soon before her fiftieth birthday, during a tour in the Netherlands, Pavlova attracted pneumonia and her condition quickly worsened. Anna Pavlova, who had certainly lived by the words she once spoke, "although one may fail to find happiness in theatrical life, one never wishes to give it up after having once tasted its fruits", lay dying in her bed in The Hague. The next day being a performance day, she asked for someone to prepare her swan costume. She also requested that someone play the movement "Le Cygne" on the piano for her, the piece that would always accompany her trademark dance. With it playing, her costume sprawled over her bed, the swan died. The next evening the show went on as usual, but in place of the dying swan was just a spotlight on an empty stage.

The unconventional ballerina became a model for ballet already during her own lifetime. Her refusal to let her supposed defects conquer her will to dance became a symbol, the self-willed swan that never died. Anna Pavlova truly left behind a legacy of equal parts ballet, creative ingeniousness and relentless will to achieve, regardless of others, and herself.