New York Times Interview with Anna Pavlova Part 1

 

Photo Credit Anna Pavlova in Coppelia costume, London, c. 1910 from Anna Pavlova Her Life And Art by Keith Money

Anna Pavlova did an interview with the New York Times on March 6, 1910 in this interview Pavlova told the Times reporter the day she was born in rained and described the atmosphere of her birth place and how that influenced her love of melancholy in art, drama and nature. 

"I love the note of sadness in everything: in art, in the drama, in nature, Ah-in nature above all! I love the dreamy Russian forests, and the dream inspiring English parks."- Anna Pavlova being interview New York Times 1910

The reporter  interrupts Pavlova when she starts talking about she's feeling better  then when she first arrived in New York. The  reporter asks if Pavlova's success in New York is why her health improved? She disagrees with the reporter telling him that the success never has an effect on her because of all the places she toured which were all successful. However she enjoys how the U.S. appreciates ballet and she spoke about her feelings about that in this interview.

"But I feel happy, nevertheless, that our art is appreciated in this country . You see, in Europe we make a specialty ballet, while here I understand it is merely incidental. In Russia particularly, the ballet is a branch of art to which much attention is paid. There are theatre schools there which are supported by the government, and dancing is one of the favorite amusements of the Czar."- Anna Pavlova being interviewed New York Times 1910

The reporter gets very curious about the Czar and ask Anna Pavlova about it which she tells him she knew him he came to the ballet school to talk to the students, eat dinner with them and tell jokes. Anna Pavlova even adds that the Czar praised her and the students would put on performances for the Czar.

Pavlova discussed how she believes ballet should evolve like drama and opera did and  developed new forms. She was worried ballet would be left behind because they wanted to stick to only one form of doing things like they had always done.

"Until recently the ballet made no progress. In fact, it lagged behind every other form of art, while the drama and the opera kept developing new forms, the ballet created nothing. It remained on one plane. And dancing ought to make a wider appeal than the drama or the opera. In the drama, as well as the opera, there must be national characteristics, distinctions and peculiarties while dancing is more readily understood by all." - Anna Pavlova being interviewed New York Times 1910   

Anna Pavlova spoke about her ten years on stage and through all that time all she had learned and still was learning but her overall goal was what she wanted to develop for ballet and how ballet could evolve into something bigger.

"I have now been ten years on the stage, and I am still seeking new forms: I am working now harder than ever before. I am studying every day. I believe that the greater the artist, the more he  he must study, it matters not whether he or she is a painter, a writer, a musician, or a dancer." - Anna Pavlova being interviewed New York Times 1910