Having received great training in Saint Petersburg and following all the traditions of classical ballet, Anna Pavlova always maintained her unique individuality. The ballet critic Valerian Svetlov described her in the following way,

Anna Pavlova enchanted the audience not only with her wonderful grace, beauty, and harmony of lines but also with the deeply dramatic portrayal of characters and high spirituality.

The performances as Nikiya in “La Bayadère”, Odette in “Swan Lake” and Giselle in the eponymous ballet revealed Pavlova’s exceptional dramatic talent. Audiences were mesmerized by her lively dance as Kitri in “Don Quixote.”

Apart from classical ballets, Anna Pavlova gave brilliant performances of the so-called character dances that included elements of folk choreography, reflecting the unique national atmosphere of folk dances. Her character dances included a Spanish panaderos in “Raymonda, ” a fandango in “Carmen, ” and a Ural dance in “The Little Humpbacked Horse.”

In 1907, she started working with Mikhail Fokine. Together, they created a non-narrative romantic ballet “Les Sylphides.” The same year, Fokine choreographed the solo dance “The Swan” set to music by Camille Saint-Saëns. This dance is regarded as a true ballet masterpiece. The performance by Anna Pavlova was so poignant that the dance was renamed as “The Dying Swan.”

After the beginning of World War I, Anna Pavlova left for England and continued to tour with her troupe around the world. Pavlova had a wide repertoire and a very busy schedule. While touring the world, she visited all the continents and even the most remote regions, including Australia, South America, Japan, China, Burma, and the Philippines.

The silhouette of Anna Pavlova in “Les Sylphides” created by Valentin Serov for Sergei Diaghilev’s troupe at “The Russian Seasons” became a symbol of Russian ballet. The image of Anna Pavlova inspired many painters, sculptors, poets, and directors. One of the tributes to her talent is this statue from the museum’s collection. It depicts her graceful foot in a pointe shoe.