Prominent Russians: Anna Pavlova.

Prominent Russians: Anna Pavlova.
A fragile girl who was at first denied entry to the Russian Imperial Ballet School due to the delicacy of her constitution, Anna Pavlova became one of the most famous classical ballet dancers in history and was a mystery both during her lifetime and after her death.
Her very birth was the first in a long line of myths connected with Anna Pavlova and her personality. Little Anna was born two months premature and as a newborn she was wrapped in soft wool instead of napkins. She was later quoted as saying it was not wool, but swan down. If this is true, it would prove to be quite symbolic for the ballet dancer whose signature piece would later become the role of the dying swan in Swan Lake.