Maya Plisetskaya

Maya Mikhailovna Plisetskaya ({{lang-ru|???? ?????????? ?????????}}; November 20, 1925 - ) is a Russian ballet dancer, frequently cited as the greatest ballerina of modern times.

Early life

Maya Plisetskaya was born in Moscow into a prominent family of Jewish artists. She went to school in Spitzbergen, where her father worked as an engineer. In 1938 he was executed during the Stalinist purges, while her mother, a silent-film actress, was deported to Kazakhstan.

Related Topics:
Moscow - Spitzbergen - 1938 - Kazakhstan

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Thereupon Maya was adopted by her maternal aunt, the ballerina Sulamith Messerer (1908-2004), who later founded the Tokyo Ballet (1960), defected to the West (1980), and received the highest civilan honours of Great Britain and Japan.

Related Topics:
Sulamith Messerer - Tokyo Ballet - Great Britain - Japan

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Maya studied under the great ballerina of imperial school, Elizaveta Gerdt. She first performed at the Bolshoi Theatre when she had just turned 11 years of age. In 1943, she graduated from the choreographic school and joined the Bolshoi Ballet, where she would perform until 1990.

Related Topics:
Elizaveta Gerdt - Bolshoi Theatre - 1943 - 1990

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