The role of Anastasia entered Natalia Bessmertnova's creative biography as one of the roles that best suited her acting personality and professional abilities. The libretto has no literary basis; it was written by the choreographer himself. The score was assembled by Mikhail Chulaki from fragments of Sergei Prokofiev's music for Sergei Eisenstein's film of the same name and other works by the composer. According to Yuri Grigorovich, it was the music that became the primary creative impetus for the ballet's creation.