Anna Pavlova

and the Russian school of ballet

Although the ballet legend did not teach at the institution, she maintained numerous friendships and professional ties with its teachers, foremost among them the director, Nicolas Tcherepnine. Without Anna Pavlova, the Russian Conservatoire would never have been founded. Here’s why…

1924

The school’s origins...

In early 1924, La Pavlova was in tour in Paris. She wants to stage a ballet based on the music Dionysus from Nicolas Tcherepnine, his former colleague at the Mariinsky Theatre. He accepted the offer, left the Tbilisi Conservatoire, which he was then directing, set off for Paris and took part in the foundation of the Russian Conservatoire.

L’Étoile, world-renowned for its interpretation of The Death of the Swan, died in January 1931 whilst on tour in the Netherlands. Five months later, her partner, Victor Dandré, has been elected an honorary member of the SMRE, the association that runs the Conservatoire. In a letter, he thanked the association and announced:

As I am planning to move to Paris in the future, I would be very keen to find out more about your organisation’s activities.

1931

The Preobranjenska Class

At that time, the Russian Conservatoire was based at the Wacker Studio, Rue de Douai, with the class of the other great prima ballerina of the time, Olga Preobrazhenskaya.

The dean of the Russian Conservatoire, Nathalie Zolotovsky, remembers «Preo» as a woman who was surprisingly energetic for her small stature, capable of «incredible leaps». An excellent teacher, very strict and vigilant when it came to discipline, she trained generations of dancers – including Nina Vyroubova who will be returning to dance at the Conservatoire as part of a Russian New Year’s Eve celebration.

We have found one of his dedications, in Russian, to Eugène Gounst, his colleague who sometimes accompanies him on the piano during his lessons:

Thank you, dear Evgeny Ottovich, for this melody, which helps me so much during my lessons.

1956

Pavlova Gala

A legend in her own lifetime, Anna Pavlova remains, even after her death, a universally recognised figure. To mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of her death, Serge Lifar organises a grand gala in his honour at the Conservatoire. A lecture is dedicated to him. Then, the most prestigious stars of the Paris Opera take to the stage on the first floor: Lycette Darsonval, Madeleine Lafon and Nina Vyroubova, who, five years later, would dance with Rudolf Nureyev in Sleeping Beauty.

The performance by Claude Bessy, aged twenty-three, having just been appointed a principal dancer with the Opéra ballet. The future director of the Opéra Dance School shares her memories of a time when dance was closely associated with the Russian community:

The dance scene was teeming with Russian artists. Lyubov Yegorova, my teacher, lived almost opposite my house: I knew her very well, as well as her husband and her dog. I was also very good friends with Serge Lifar […] The Russians were very friendly and welcoming. There was always vodka to hand, and a a brilliant atmosphere.

It was at this gala that a memorable painting was exhibited: the A portrait of Anna Pavlova…

1956

a life-size portrait

This 1.90-metre-tall work is by the painter Alexandre Iacovleff whose sister, Sandra, teaches singing at the Russian Conservatoire.

Right from the start, one is struck by its life-sized realism, so faithful that one might think L’Étoile is standing there, in her Chopin skirt. She descends from her neoclassical setting like an angel who longs for the world of the living.

Twenty-five years after Anna Pavlova’s death, the painting takes on a posthumous quality. Yet it was painted whilst the artist was still alive, during one of her tours of Paris. This pose, known to ballerinas as the ‘plié-battement tendu’, resembles a curtsy – a bow heralding a final performance.

The painting is currently on display at the Tretyakov Gallery from Moscow. Unlike Dorian Gray’s, the Portrait of Anna Pavlova has survived the century without a scratch, a miraculous testament to a purity that remains forever intact.