Editing Anna Pavlova (section)

===St. Petersburg===
====Marius Petipa====
At the height of [[Marius Petipa|Petipa]]'s strict academicism, the public was taken aback by Pavlova's style, a combination of a gift that paid little heed to academic rules: she frequently performed with bent knees, bad turnout, misplaced ''port de bras'' and incorrectly placed ''tours''. Such a style, in many ways, harkened back to the time of the [[romantic ballet]] and the great ballerinas of old.

[[File:PavlovaasNikiya.jpg|thumb|200px|Caricature of Pavlova as Nikiya in ''La Bayadère'' by the brothers [[Nikolai Legat]] and [[Sergei Legat]] for their book ''The Russian Ballet In Caricatures''. 1903]]

Pavlova performed in various [[variation (ballet)|classical variations]], ''[[pas de deux]]'' and ''[[pas de trois]]'' in such ballets as ''[[Camargo (ballet)|La Camargo]]'', ''[[Tsar Kandavl or Le Roi Candaule|Le Roi Candaule]]'', ''Marcobomba'' and ''[[The Sleeping Beauty (ballet)|The Sleeping Beauty]]''. Her enthusiasm often led her astray: once during a performance as the River Thames in Petipa's ''[[The Pharaoh's Daughter]]'' her energetic double ''pique turns'' led her to lose her balance and fall into the [[Prompt corner|prompter's box]]. Her weak ankles led to difficulty while performing as the fairy Candide in Petipa's ''The Sleeping Beauty'', leading the ballerina to revise the fairy's jumps ''en pointe'', much to the surprise of the Ballet Master. She tried desperately to imitate the renowned [[Pierina Legnani]], ''Prima ballerina assoluta'' of the Imperial Theatres. Once, during class, she attempted Legnani's famous [[fouetté]]s, causing her teacher, Pavel Gerdt, to fly into a rage. He told her,
{{blockquote|... leave acrobatics to others. It is positively more than I can bear to see the pressure such steps put on your delicate muscles and the severe arch of your foot. 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.}}

Pavlova rose through the ranks quickly, becoming a favourite of the old maestro Petipa. From him she learned the title role in ''[[Paquita]]'', Princess Aspicia in ''The Pharaoh's Daughter'', Queen Nisia in ''Le Roi Candaule'' and ''Giselle''. She was named ''danseuse'' in 1902, ''première danseuse'' in 1905 and ''prima ballerina'' in 1906 after a resounding performance in ''[[Giselle]]''. Petipa revised many ''[[grand pas]]'' for her, as well as many supplemental variations. She was much celebrated by the fanatical balletomanes of Tsarist Saint Petersburg, her legions of fans calling themselves the ''Pavlovatzi''.

When the ballerina [[Mathilde Kschessinska]] was pregnant in 1901, she coached Pavlova in the role of Nikiya in ''[[La Bayadère]]''. Kschessinska, not wanting to be upstaged, was certain Pavlova would fail in the role, as she was considered technically inferior because of her small ankles and lithe legs. Instead, audiences became enchanted with Pavlova and her frail, ethereal look, which fit the role perfectly, particularly in the scene ''The Kingdom of the Shades''.

====Michel Fokine====
[[File:Anna pavlova -c. 1905.jpg|thumb|Anna Pavlova in 1905]]
Pavlova is perhaps most renowned for creating the role of ''[[The Dying Swan]]'', a solo choreographed for her by [[Michel Fokine]]. The ballet, created in 1905, is danced to ''[[Le cygne]]'' from ''[[The Carnival of the Animals]]'' by [[Camille Saint-Saëns]]. She also choreographed several solos herself, one of which is ''The Dragonfly'', a short ballet set to music by Fritz Kreisler. While performing it, she wore a gossamer gown with large dragonfly wings fixed to the back.

Pavlova had a rivalry with [[Tamara Karsavina]]. According to the film ''[[A Portrait of Giselle]]'', Karsavina recalls a [[wardrobe malfunction]] during a performance; her shoulder straps fell, exposing her breasts and Pavlova helped embarrass her to tears.