Metropolitan Classical Ballet Recent Reviews

Russian ballerina shines in new role
Sunday, December 21, 2003

By Jan Jarvis, Fort Worth Star-Telegram Staff Writer

ARLINGTON - Russian ballet dancer Olga Pavlova speaks little English, but onstage she has no trouble using her pliable body to communicate with audiences.

The message comes across loud and clear; Ballet Arlington's new principal dancer thrives on her art.

"My life is my dance," Pavlova said. "I'm alive only when I'm dancing."

Pavlova, who is appearing as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Ballet Arlington's production of The Nutcracker, which ends today, is a newcomer to Texas, but she's a familiar face to audiences in Moscow and around the world.

"Everybody knows her in Moscow," said Ballet Arlington dancer Ilya Kuznetsov, who helped translate for Pavlova. "She's danced with many companies and performed all over the world."

After graduating from Moscow Academic Choreographic School in 1988, she was a member of the State Theatre of Mme Saz. In 1990, she joined the Grigorovich Bolshoi Ballet Company and appeared as principal dancer there for five years. From 1995 to 2000, she was the principal dancer with the Russian Imperial Ballet.

Pavlova said she has loved ballet for as long as she can remember.

"My parents have said that when I was 2, I would start dancing as soon as the music was playing," she said.

Her introduction to Texas came this year when Ballet Arlington's artistic director, Alexander Vetrov, invited her to perform with him in Bonjour Brel, said Cynthia Hill, a Ballet Arlington executive board member.

"We loved it so much that we invited her to be part of our company," Hill said. "She's got extraordinary technique, and she's very shapely and beautiful with a very significant presence onstage."

In September, Pavlova joined the company as principal dancer. In October, her performance in George Balanchine's Divertimento was praised in the Star-Telegram by Marilyn Bailey, who said she had "tremendous technique combined with lyrical qualities and dramatic talent."

Ballet Arlington board member Sharon Nolan said Pavlova is an extraordinary ballerina.

"We consider her a real coup," she said. "She's such a high-caliber dancer."

Despite the language barrier, Pavlova said, she enjoys everything about life in Texas. Moscow is the opposite of Arlington, she said.

"It's like the sky and the earth," Pavlova said. "This is a nice place to live, but Moscow is a hard, tough place to live."

The Texas climate is much milder than Russia's cold, harsh weather. The pace is also more relaxed here than in Moscow, and everything is more affordable, she said.

"Moscow is the third most expensive city on Earth, and to own a house is almost impossible," she said. "Here it's a reality; many people can do it."

For now, she's living in an Arlington apartment with her husband, Eugeny Anfinogenov, also a dancer who appears as the Mouse King in The Nutcracker.

Between classes and rehearsals, Pavlova hasn't had time to explore the area but plans to as soon as she can. She typically dances from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

"It's not jump here, smile there," she said. "It's understanding and building the whole character."

In the spotlight

Olga Pavlova, 33

Occupation: Ballet dancer

Experience: Member of the State Theatre of Mme Saz from 1988 to 1990. Principal dancer with Grigorovich Bolshoi Ballet Company from 1990 to 1995. Principal dancer with the Russian Imperial Ballet from 1995 to 2000. Gold medalist of Second International Nureyev Competition in Budapest, Hungary. First-prize winner and gold medalist of the 1996 Maya Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia.