ballerinas

The most significant advancement came with the construction in 1888 of Her Imperial Majesty’s Opera House (later known as Her Majesty’s Theatre). The theatre was lit with electricity and seated 2,700 people. Her Majesty’s Theatre became the principal venue for major performances in Brisbane for opera, musicals and ballet for almost a century. Source: tobysimkin.com/brisbane-theatre-history/

Centennial Hall (Brisbane) Centennial Hall opened in 1888 and was located in Adelaide Street, between Albert and Edward Streets (where the present day Reserve Bank of Australia building is located). Its entrance faced the Brisbane Arcade. Its remodel with a design by Lange Leopold Powell in the 1920s[12] emphasised Art Deco decoration and the building included marble stairs and a flat auditorium floor which could seat 700 people when not in use as a dance hall. It had a gallery area which could also seat 300 people if a floor show was playing that evening.[13] Shops operated in the lower level of the building. It operated as a skating rink in the 1880s and music hall venue in the 1890s. It was operated as a bioscopy theatre from 1906-1919 and a vaudeville venue from 1940-1941. It became known as the Cocoanut Grove Ballroom after 1941,[1] and was popular with US soldiers. Fire damaged the building in April 1942. Cocoanut Grove later became known as Birdland.[4] Programs from productions at the Centennial are held in the Fryer Library of the University of Queensland.[14]" Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_Halls_of_Brisbane_in_the_twen...

Anna Pavlova (Pavlovna) (1881?-1931) was a Russian ballerina. She joined the Imperial Ballet in 1899 and became a prima ballerina in 1906.

Her American debut was made with Mikhail Mordkin, on March 1, 1910, at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York City, in a revival of Delibes's ballet, Coppelia. After the debut a New York critic declared such dancing had not been seen on the local stage during the present generation and praised the supreme ease with which Pavlova executed the most difficult tricks of the dancer's art.

After 1913, she danced independently with her own company around the world. Some of her more famous dances include The Dragon fly, Californian Poppy, and Gavotte. "Pavlova is perhaps most renowned for creating the role of "The Dying Swan", a solo choreographed for her by Michel Fokine. The ballet, created in 1905, is danced to Le cygne from The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns."

Pavlova was married to her accompanist, Victor d'Andre. The marriage was announced by the dancer during her last American tour in 1924-25, which was said to be her farewell appearance in this country. Commenting on her marriage at that time, the dancer said:

"For an artist there is no husband. Pavlova the artist and Pavlova the wife, they are two very different persons, so I keep them separate. My dancing belongs to the world, but my husband to myself."

Anna died of pleurisy at the height of her fame in 1931. She is considered one of the finest classical ballet dancers in history. [1] [2] [3] [4]