All time Favourites - Anna Pavlova

Anna Pavlova with her pet swan Jack

Anna & I share a name, and pavlova is the best dessert treat both of my Nanas make on special occassions, so it seems pretty much a given that Miss Pavlova would be a favourite for her name alone! She was the best Russian Ballet Dancer the world has ever seen, and had a love for animals so great she could emulate them in her performances like no other. 

I found the book these images are taken from "The Magic of Dance" by Margot Fonteyn at a charity store. When I showed my Mum she told me my Grandparents knew the author, who was one of the World's great Ballerinas herself.  When I visited my Grandparents I showed them this book and their faces lit up, my Grandad took me down to his study and showed me another book she had gifted to them with a lovely little note she had written inside.  It was all very exciting!

The first time Pavlova performed abroad in Stockholm, it caused such a stir that young men from the audience took the horses from the shafts of her carriage and drew it back to the hotel themselves after her performance.  What a gesture of Gentlemen!   

The writing style is beautiful in this book, it is filled with stunning images and is a great read for anyone wanting an interesting and unconventional account of the history of dance.