Dancing Times Magazine June 2012 Back Issue

T his month, we pay tribute to one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century, Anna Pavlova, who, in 1912, made her home in London. She used Ivy House in Golder’s Green as the base from which she and her company of dancers toured the world, taking classical ballet to people who had never experienced it before. Richard Buckle once described Pavlova as a “chocolate-box goddess”, and it is true that by nature her art and repertoire were conservative – a far cry from the works performed by her compatriots in Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes – yet she also took inspiration from the varied national dances she saw whilst travelling abroad, and she was to become the very image of a ballerina for thousands of people. A century later, the life of this extraordinary woman is celebrated this month in Pavlova 2012, a festival being held at the London Jewish Cultural Centre, which is based at Ivy House. As media patron for Pavlova 2012, Dancingtimes hopes readers will sample the many exciting events taking place from June 17.