Ukraine Today uploaded this video where ballet stars pay tribute to Bolshoi Legend: Maya Plisetskaya.
Maya Plisetskaya Has Passed Away at 89
Maya Mikhaylovna Plisetskaya (Born on 20 November, 1925 – 2 May, 2015) was a Soviet-born ballet dancer, choreographer, ballet director, and actress, who held Spanish and Lithuanian citizenship. In 1960 she ascended to prima ballerina assoluta of the Bolshoi.
Plisetskaya studied ballet from age nine and first performed at the Bolshoi Theatre when she was eleven. She joined the Bolshoi Ballet company when she was eighteen, quickly rising to become their leading soloist.
She was not allowed to tour outside the country for sixteen years after joining the Bolshoi. During those years, her fame as a national ballerina was used to project the Soviet Union’s achievements during the Cold War.
Premier Nikita Khrushchev, who lifted her travel ban in 1959, considered her “not only the best ballerina in the Soviet Union, but the best in the world.”
As a member of the Bolshoi until 1990, her skill as a dancer changed the world of ballet, setting a higher standard for ballerinas both in terms of technical brilliance and dramatic presence.
For more on Maya Plisetskaya’s life visit Wikipedia.org.
Maya Plisetskaya Has Passed Away at 89
This documentary was make in 1964, at the age of 44 honoring the ballerina’s long career.
It would last until 1990, when she would retire at the age of 65!
Video courtesy of YouTube.
Maya Plisetskaya Has Passed Away 89
The ballet world has lost an icon, an era has come to its end. She will be sorely missed.
To see more beautiful images of Plisetskaya check out my Pinterest Board!
