We take the word not as the name of a profession or of a certain rank in that profession. We take it to represent a myth - the greatest myth in Petipa's theatre, with all of its dryads, nereids and houries. In fact, it was a well-developed aesthetic myth, based on the conception of immortal art and beauty. All the heroines in the repertoire may be mortal, but the Ballerina is immortal. However, the Ballerina is reborn from her suffering, as verse is born of the poet's agony.
Fate pursues the choreographer's characters, but it has no power over the Ballerina.
This power replaces the pantomime of the old-school ballets. However, that destiny is not conferred on her by the fairy's magic wand - she builds it herself. Here is the ethical basis underlying the essentially aesthetic style of Petipa. Here is the imperative which determines the structure of his art. The Ballerina asserts her artistic personality - at least within the limits of her short variation.