Posted
on February 12, 2014
Anna
Pavlova was not just any old ballet dancer—this Russian woman was a prima
ballerina. And not just that, she was the first ballerina to tour
with her ballet company around the world.
We
celebrate her birthday today, even though she was born on January 31.
Why? Because, in 1881 when Anna Pavlova was born, Russia hadn't yet
converted to the Gregorian calendar—but most of the world had. And
of course Russia has since made the conversion. So to make things
less confusing (still confusing, granted, but less confusing),
we convert the Russian Julian-calendar dates to what the Gregorian
calendar called those dates at the time.
Anna
Pavlova fell in love with the ballet as a child, when her mother took
her to see a ballet called The Sleeping Beauty (which of
course came WAY before the Disney movie of the same name!). When she
auditioned for the Imperial Ballet School at age 9, she was turned
down. She kept at it and was accepted a year later.
Still,
classical ballet did not come easy to Pavlova. She had highly arched
feet, and she was taller and longer-legged than the other dancers her
age; and, at the time, ballet dancers were “supposed” to be small
and strong. Pavlova had to endure teasing and taunts from the other
dancers.
But
she kept at it. She trained and worked, and she worked and trained.
And she began to be chosen for roles in ballet productions, and when
she graduated from the Ballet School, she was ahead of the corps
de ballet (where most graduates found themselves), having been
chosen as a coryphee.
(By
the way, did you know that ballet terms are French?)
Back
to Pavlova: Pavlova had thin ankles as well as a very arched foot.
She was daintier and more delicate than most ballet dancers. But,
being a hard worker, she tried to do the things that other, stronger
dancers did. One of her teachers told her, “I
beg you to never again try to imitate those who are physically
stronger than you. You must realize that your daintiness and
fragility are your greatest assets. You should always do the kind of
dancing which brings out your own rare qualities instead of trying to
win praise by mere acrobatic tricks."
That
is a good lesson for all of us to learn: find out your own passions
and talents and assets, and make the most of them. Don't spend all of
your time focusing on the traits you don't have!
When
Pavlova learned that lesson, she became great!
Also
on this date:
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ahead:
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