Done by Kate Khvorost, form 11 “A”

The Russian dancer Maya Mikhailovna Plisetskaya (born 1925) epitomized the best of Soviet ballet. mikhailovna-plisetskaya

Maya Mikhailovna Plisetskaya, prima ballerina assoluta of the Bolshoi Ballet, was born on November 20, 1925, in Moscow into a Jewish theatrical dynasty. Her mother, Rakhil Messerer, was a well- known silent-film actress. mikhailovna-plisetskaya

Maya's brother, Azari, became a dancer; her Aunt Elizaveta was an actress in Moscow; and her cousin Boris was a distinguished set designer.

The career of Maya Plisetskaya, the celebrated Soviet ballerina, choreographer, teacher, and director, spans almost 50 years.

 Recognized as one of the world's greatest ballerinas, she endowed her roles with unique individuality, combining the pure lyrical technique of the Russian classical heritage with the fire and magic of Soviet bravura.

As a child, Maya was always restless, constantly moving. When she was eight, her Aunt Sulamith took her to the Moscow Choreographic School, which produces most of the Bolshoi dancers.

To be a student at the ballet school meant taking part in performances with the company at the Bolshoi Theatre. When she was 11, Plisetskaya appeared as the Bread Crumb Fairy in Asaf Messerer's production of "The Sleeping Beauty."

Upon graduation from the school in 1943, she was accepted immediately into the Bolshoi company, not as a member of the corps de ballet but as a soloist. For the role of Masha in "The Nutcracker, " Plisetskaya received the coaching of yet another legendary figure in the history of Russian ballet—Agrippina Vaganova, the director of the Leningrad ballet school whose methods of teaching were the basis at all Soviet ballet schools.

 The ensuing years saw Plisetskaya performing in all the classical roles, offering individual but convincing interpretations. She danced Raymonda, the dual role of Odette-Odile (Swan Lake), Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Myrthe (Giselle), Kitri (Don Quixote), Tsar-Maiden (The Little Hump-backed Horse), and, of course, "The Dying Swan"

 One of her most famous—and favorite— contemporary roles was Carmen, in the ballet "Carmen-Suite" by Cuban choreographer Alberto Alonso. The ballet gave full rein to her dramatic and artistic talent. She portrayed the young girl as a passionate, tempestuous, and sensual character.

Bizet's famous score was arranged by Rodion Shchedrin, Plisetskaya's husband.

Another facet of Plisetskaya's talent was her choreography. Her ballets "Anna Karenina, " "The Seagull, " and "Lady with a Lapdog" are all based on Russian literature with music especially composed by Shchedrin and created as vehicles for her own star quality.

 In 1996, at age seventy, she received rave reviews for her remarkable performance of her signature "The Dying Swan" at New York City Hall. Her ability to work was phenomenal, and her talent remarkable. Plisetskaya was the "prima ballerina assoluta."