BAM Affiliation Recognized as one of the finest ballet dancers in history, Anna Pavlova was the principal artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and the Ballet Russes. She performed with Mikhail Mordkin in 1909 -- BAM's first season at 30 Lafayette -- and she returned with him for several evenings of duets in the following two seasons. She also performed at BAM with the Imperial Russian Ballet in 1910, and the Ballet Russes in 1924, toward the end of her career.