Ballet Archives

  Photo Credit: Pavlova Portrait of a Dancer Presented by Margot Fonteyn Three of Anna Pavlova's Ballet Students at the Ivy House. Muriel Stuart who later join Pavlova's Company is in the center. The Ivy House was more than a home and retreat for Anna Pavlova. It also was a place of learning where it held Ballet classes for children that Anna Pavlova taught herself. Anna Pavlova had taught children at a ballet school in the Hippodrome in New York in America, so she had previous teaching experience with children.  When the children danced, Anna Pavlova saw they were always dancing freely and with their hearts, and this filled Pavlova with joy. Anna Pavlova decided that she would teach her free ballet classes which was a small group of girls at her home. Pavlova saw spirit and talent in the children and wanted to see them thrive and grow into dancers. Individuality was vital to Pavlova. She didn't like the young girls to become a carbon copy of herself; instead, she wanted ea

Photo credit- Pavlova Portrait of A Dancer Presented by Margot Fonteyn  Ivy House  Anna Pavlova found her spiritual home in London, England. She was living in a small house in London, but she was unhappy with its small size, so she decided to look for something bigger. As if by destiny there was a large home by her current home with a sign by a real estate agent for Rent or  Sale. The house was behind an Ivy-clad wall which I believe is why the house was known as The Ivy House. Immediately seeing this sign Anna Pavlova and her husband got in touch with the agent for the house.  Photo credit- Pavlova Portrait of A Dancer Presented by Margot Fonteyn  Anna Pavlova on the lawn in front of the Ivy House Once Pavlova saw the house it was love at first sight and her imagination took over on what she was going to make the house into. She wanted to create a large practice studio and open a dancing school at the house where she would teach students herself.  Once she was brought to the garden An

                                  Photo credit- Pavlova Portrait of A Dancer Presented by Margot Fonteyn Photo credit- Anna Pavlova Her Life And Art By Keith Money Many people aren’t aware, but Anna Pavlova had another passion and that was her garden. After coming home from long tours overseas, she would relax in her retreat, which was her home called the Ivy House in London, England. A sanctuary of peace, specifically her garden, which she enjoyed immensely.  She used the garden to host amazing ballet garden parties . If you were invited to the Ivy House, you would always find yourself in the garden, as Pavlova always loved being in and enjoying nature.  Photo credit- Anna Pavlova Her Life And Art By Keith Money Anna Pavlova would often practice her dancing in the garden as there are many photos documenting this, as well as her enjoying a cup of tea or reading a book there. I believe her gardens were more to her than just a garden, instead it was her personal outdoor stage to dance in

Cleopatre ballet costume, designed by Leon Bakst, 1908 One interesting thing I have noticed from reading all about the famous ballerinas is that in their youth, while watching a ballet performance, they are all struck by cupid's arrow. They know that at that very moment the only thing they want to become is a ballerina and the magic of dance fills their life in times of good and bad. Ballet is always there for them.  The ballet that bewitched Anna Pavlova was Sleeping Beauty, for Sono Osato it was Cleopatre, and for Rosella Hightower it was The Ballet Russes.  When each performance was over, all of them wanted one thing and that was to be a Ballerina. Some of them had to convince their families that this wasn't a passing phase, that this was a life choice they wanted to take. Sleeping Beauty Anna Johannson 1892 All these ladies have one thing in common, that ballet cast its magic on them when they were little girls. They continued under its spell even as adults and after becomi