Swan. The Life And Dance Of Anna Pavlova

The world is big.  Anna is small.  The snow is everywhere and all around.  But one night ... One night, her mother takes her to the ballet, and everything is changed. Anna finds a beauty inside herself that she cannot contain.  So begins the journey of a girl who will one day grow up to be the most famous prima ballerina of all time, inspiring legions of dancers after her: the brave, the generous, the transcendently gifted Anna Pavlova.

"The Swan" (aka "The Dying Swan") is a famous short ballet choreographed by Mikhail Fokine to the music of Saint-Saens in 1905 for the great Anna Pavlova. Mme. Pavlova was inspired to ask Fokine to create this piece by Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "The Dying Swan" and from swans seen in public parks. "The Swan" was premiered in St Petersburg on the 22nd December 1905 at the Nobleman's Hall at a charity gala performance to raise money for widows and orphans. It later premiered at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in 1907. Mme. Pavlova later went onto perform "The Swan" many times across the world on her global tours and the piece became her signature ballet; when one thinks of Anna Pavlova, the first thing that comes to mind is the image of the Swan.