Legendary Russian ballerina Maya Plisetskaya
When you talk about Maya Plisetskaya, it’s difficult to avoid enthusiastic epithets. She is not even a ballerina, but the very spirit of the dance, embodied in a perfect form. Great, legendary, divine, unique, female queen, a female character. So far, it is worth noting when the audience see Maya Plisetskaya in the theater loge, the hall burst into applause. Great ballerina conquered the Bolshoi Theater, as soon as appeared on the scene, and then forever captivated all the leading theaters of the world.
In 1959, the Bolshoi came on tour to America, among the artists was Maya Plisetskaya. She won the Western world. Press sang her praises, fashion photographers dreamed to shoot her, the American elite, led by Jacqueline Kennedy longed for her autograph.
Maya Plisetskaya is an amazing woman. At home, she was an exemplary citizen, prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theatre, People’s Artist of the USSR, the winner of the Order of Lenin. Abroad, she was well-known ballet model of Vogue.
Maya Plisetskaya shone in “Carmen”, “Sleeping Beauty” and “The Dying Swan” and the role of Odette-Odile, about which she had dreamed during her school years, has performed more than eight hundred times. Maya Mikhailovna lived on stage to seventy years old and went to the audience, when she was 80, performing in “Ave Maya”, created for her by Maurice Bejart. For her performances were always made by the most famous choreographers (including Roland Petit and Alberto Alonso), and great couturiers worked for her.
Maya Plisetskaya outfits were always discussed with no less interest than her legendary roles. From her tours she brought home suits, which in Soviet times no one could dream of.
Legendary Pierre Cardin and Yves Saint Laurent created outfits for her, and Coco Chanel once invited the dancer to her studio and offered to choose any dress from her new collection.
About private life of Maya Plisetskaya spread legends (even Robert Kennedy courted her!). However, at her 30 years old, she, like a swan, fell in love and for life. Her choice was composer Rodion Shchedrin, introduced to her by Lily Brik, common-law wife of Vladimir Mayakovsky.
In October 2008, the couple celebrated the 50th anniversary of their life together. “Rodion – that’s my child, husband, friend – confessed the dancer whose eyes glow with love. Maya has always been a winner, including the fight against time. It seems that the years have no control over her – great dancer left the stage at the age of 70, and still her beauty doesn’t fade, and without plastic surgery.
Legendary Russian ballerina Maya Plisetskaya
