Maya Plisetskaya with her uncle Asaf Messerer. The mid-1930s.
Gallery of Maya Plisetskaya
1939
Chimkent, Kazakhstan
Rachel Messerer with children: Azari, Maya, and Alexander Plisetskiy. Chimkent, 1939.
College/University
Career
Gallery of Maya Plisetskaya
1959
Soviet Union
Russian ballet dancer and choreographer, Maya Plisetskaya, Soviet Union, 1959. Photo by Gaby.
Gallery of Maya Plisetskaya
1962
Teatralnaya sq. 1, Moscow, Russia, 125009
Maya Plisetskaya, the Bolshoi ballet's premier dancer, leaping in The Humpbacked Horse. Photo by Horst P. Horst.
Gallery of Maya Plisetskaya
1963
Longford TW6, United Kingdom
Russian Prima Ballerina Maya Plisetskaya holds a huge bouquet of flowers as she arrives in London with the Bolshoi Ballet Company, London Airport, June 27th, 1963. Photo by Ray Green.
Gallery of Maya Plisetskaya
1963
Longford TW6, United Kingdom
Ballet dancer, choreographer, ballet director, and actress Maya Plisetskaya, holding a bouquet of flowers, waves at supporters and the press upon her arrival at Heathrow Airport with the Bolshoi Ballet, London, 27th June 1963. Photo by George Stroud.
Gallery of Maya Plisetskaya
1969
Bow St, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DD, United Kingdom
Ballet dancers Nikolai Fadeyechev and Maya Plisetskaya on stage, rehearsing a scene from the ballet 'Carmen,' at the Royal Opera House, London, July 22nd, 1969. Photo by Mike Lawn.
Gallery of Maya Plisetskaya
1969
United Kingdom
Ballet dancer, choreographer, ballet director, and actress Maya Plisetskaya, United Kingdom 5th August 1969.
Gallery of Maya Plisetskaya
1970
Paris, France
Pierre Cardin and ballerina Maya Plisetskaya, circa 1970, in Paris, France.
Gallery of Maya Plisetskaya
1971
France
French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent speaking with Russian ballet dancer Maya Plisetskaya. Photo by Alain Dejean.
Gallery of Maya Plisetskaya
1974
30 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023, United States
Russian dancers Alexander Godunov and prima ballerina assoluta Maya Plisetskaya perform in a scene from 'La Rose Malade' (by Roland Petit with music by Gustave Mahler) during a Stars of the Bolshoi Ballet performance at Lincoln Center's Metropolitan Opera House, New York, New York, September 21, 1974. Photo by Linda Vartoogian.
Gallery of Maya Plisetskaya
1974
30 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023, United States
Russian dancers Alexander Godunov and prima ballerina assoluta Maya Plisetskaya perform in a scene from 'La Rose Malade' (by Roland Petit with music by Gustave Mahler) during a Stars of the Bolshoi Ballet performance at Lincoln Center's Metropolitan Opera House, New York, New York, September 21, 1974. Photo by Linda Vartoogian.
Gallery of Maya Plisetskaya
1977
New York City, New York, United States
Maya Plisetskaya, whom the Russians call "the last of our great ballerinas," rehearses at New York Uris Theater on March 22 for the 1st of her guest appearances with Maurice Bejart and his Ballet of the 20th Century. She's dancing "Isadora," a new ballet that Bejart composed for her. In the ballet, she appears as Isadora Duncan. Her appearance at the Uris late March 22nd marked the first time the 51-year-old ballerina has appeared in the US outside specific Soviet auspices. She makes no secret of the fact that she is appearing as a guest with the Belgian troupe as a response to the ways she feels she is being treated at the Bolshoi Ballet.
Gallery of Maya Plisetskaya
1980
Teatralnaya sq. 1, Moscow, Russia, 125009
Russian ballerina Maya Mikhaylovna Plisetskaya at the Bolshoi Theater, Moscow, 1980. Photo by Leonid Lazarev.
Gallery of Maya Plisetskaya
1985
Paris, France
Portrait of Maya Plisetskaya with a received order in 1985.
Gallery of Maya Plisetskaya
1986
Teatralnaya sq. 1, Moscow, Russia, 125009
Russian ballet dancer Maya Plisetskaia is one of the most acclaimed prima ballerinas of the Bolshoi Ballet. Photo by Julio Donoso.
Gallery of Maya Plisetskaya
1986
Teatralnaya sq. 1, Moscow, Russia, 125009
Russian ballet dancer Maya Plisetskaia is one of the most acclaimed prima ballerinas of the Bolshoi Ballet. Photo by Julio Donoso.
Gallery of Maya Plisetskaya
1987
New York City, New York, United States
Mikhail Baryshnikov, Martha Graham, Rudolf Nureyev, and Maya Plisetskaya attend the Martha Graham Celebration circa 1987 in New York City. Photo by Robin Platzer.
Gallery of Maya Plisetskaya
1999
Opera National De Paris Amphitheatre Baignoires Orchestre, Paris, France
Maya Plisetskaya, the Russian prima ballerina joined the Bolshoi Ballet in 1943. During her second American tour in 1962, she was greeted by top ballet dancer Nureyev who came to congralute her on her success, and to share his hope of dancing with her in the future. Photo by Eric Robert.
Achievements
Membership
Awards
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
1985
Paris, France
Portrait of Maya Plisetskaya with a received order in 1985.
Order For Merit to the Fatherland
2000
Teatralnaya sq. 1, Moscow, Russia, 125009
President Putin wishing famous Russian ballet dancer Maya Plisetskaya a happy birthday and presenting her with the Order For Merit to the Fatherland of the 2nd Class.
Prince of Asturias Award
2005
Calle Pelayo, 3, 33003 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
Dancer Maya Plisetskaya receives from Crown Prince Felipe of Spain an Award for Arts during Prince of Asturias Awards Ceremony on October 21, 2005, at Campoamor Theatre in Oviedo, Spain. Photo by Carlos Alvarez.
Order of the Rising Sun
2012
Grokholsky per., 27, Moscow, Russia, 129090
Maya Plisetskaya, formerly the prima ballerina of Russia's Bolshoi Theater for many years, gives a speech in Moscow on February 28, 2012, wearing the medal, the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon. The Japanese Embassy in Moscow held a ceremony to bestow the honor on her in recognition of her contributions to the development of ballet in Japan. To the right are Japanese Ambassador to Russia Chikahito Harada and his wife.
Merited Artist of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
People's Artist of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Russian Prima Ballerina Maya Plisetskaya holds a huge bouquet of flowers as she arrives in London with the Bolshoi Ballet Company, London Airport, June 27th, 1963. Photo by Ray Green.
Ballet dancer, choreographer, ballet director, and actress Maya Plisetskaya, holding a bouquet of flowers, waves at supporters and the press upon her arrival at Heathrow Airport with the Bolshoi Ballet, London, 27th June 1963. Photo by George Stroud.
Bow St, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DD, United Kingdom
Ballet dancers Nikolai Fadeyechev and Maya Plisetskaya on stage, rehearsing a scene from the ballet 'Carmen,' at the Royal Opera House, London, July 22nd, 1969. Photo by Mike Lawn.
30 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023, United States
Russian dancers Alexander Godunov and prima ballerina assoluta Maya Plisetskaya perform in a scene from 'La Rose Malade' (by Roland Petit with music by Gustave Mahler) during a Stars of the Bolshoi Ballet performance at Lincoln Center's Metropolitan Opera House, New York, New York, September 21, 1974. Photo by Linda Vartoogian.
30 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023, United States
Russian dancers Alexander Godunov and prima ballerina assoluta Maya Plisetskaya perform in a scene from 'La Rose Malade' (by Roland Petit with music by Gustave Mahler) during a Stars of the Bolshoi Ballet performance at Lincoln Center's Metropolitan Opera House, New York, New York, September 21, 1974. Photo by Linda Vartoogian.
Maya Plisetskaya, whom the Russians call "the last of our great ballerinas," rehearses at New York Uris Theater on March 22 for the 1st of her guest appearances with Maurice Bejart and his Ballet of the 20th Century. She's dancing "Isadora," a new ballet that Bejart composed for her. In the ballet, she appears as Isadora Duncan. Her appearance at the Uris late March 22nd marked the first time the 51-year-old ballerina has appeared in the US outside specific Soviet auspices. She makes no secret of the fact that she is appearing as a guest with the Belgian troupe as a response to the ways she feels she is being treated at the Bolshoi Ballet.
Mikhail Baryshnikov, Martha Graham, Rudolf Nureyev, and Maya Plisetskaya attend the Martha Graham Celebration circa 1987 in New York City. Photo by Robin Platzer.
Opera National De Paris Amphitheatre Baignoires Orchestre, Paris, France
Maya Plisetskaya, the Russian prima ballerina joined the Bolshoi Ballet in 1943. During her second American tour in 1962, she was greeted by top ballet dancer Nureyev who came to congralute her on her success, and to share his hope of dancing with her in the future. Photo by Eric Robert.
President Putin wishing famous Russian ballet dancer Maya Plisetskaya a happy birthday and presenting her with the Order For Merit to the Fatherland of the 2nd Class.
Dancer Maya Plisetskaya receives from Crown Prince Felipe of Spain an Award for Arts during Prince of Asturias Awards Ceremony on October 21, 2005, at Campoamor Theatre in Oviedo, Spain. Photo by Carlos Alvarez.
Maya Plisetskaya, formerly the prima ballerina of Russia's Bolshoi Theater for many years, gives a speech in Moscow on February 28, 2012, wearing the medal, the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon. The Japanese Embassy in Moscow held a ceremony to bestow the honor on her in recognition of her contributions to the development of ballet in Japan. To the right are Japanese Ambassador to Russia Chikahito Harada and his wife.
(Maya Plisetskaya, one of the world’s foremost dancers, ro...)
Maya Plisetskaya, one of the world’s foremost dancers, rose to become a prima ballerina of Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet after an early life filled with tragedy and loss. In this spirited memoir, Plisetskaya reflects on her personal and professional odyssey, presenting a unique view of the life of a Soviet artist during the troubled period from the late 1930s to the 1990s.
Maya Mikhaylovna Plisetskaya was a Russian prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet of Moscow. She was admired particularly for her technical virtuosity, expressive use of her arms, and ability to integrate acting with dancing.
Background
Maya Mikhaylovna Plisetskaya was born on November 20, 1925, in Moscow, Soviet Union to the family of a diplomat, engineer, and mine director Mikhail Plisetski and a silent-film actress Rachel Messerer-Plisetskaya. On her mother's side, the family was a Jewish theatrical dynasty. For over 70 years the Messerer family played a prominent part in the Soviet theater and films, as well as in the ballet world. Her mother was a well-known silent-film actress. In 1938, her father, Michael Plisetski was executed during the Stalinist purges, possibly because he had hired a friend who had been a secretary to Leon Trotsky. Her mother Rachel Messerer-Plisetskaya (aka Ra Messerer), was arrested and sent to a labor camp (Gulag) in Kazakhstan, together with Plisetskaya's seven-month-old baby brother. Thereupon Maya was adopted by her maternal aunt, the ballerina Sulamith Messerer until her mother was released in 1941.
Plisetskaya's brother, Azari, became a dancer; her Aunt Elizaveta was an actress in Moscow; and her cousin Boris was a distinguished set designer. Balletic influence came from her mother's sister and brother, Sulamith and Mikhail Messerer, both talented soloists and later distinguished teachers with the Bolshoi Ballet, who coached and encouraged the young Maya from earliest days.
Education
As a child, Maya Plisetskaya 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. She requested that they admit Plisetskaya a year earlier than the usual entrance age because of the child's obvious talent and also because "at home, she just can't help dancing." Plisetskaya was accepted and began the hard and dedicated life of becoming a ballet dancer. For six full days a week, she took ballet lessons along with her regular school education. Gangly and thin with bright red hair, the young Plisetskaya quickly grasped the technical difficulties of classical ballet, though not always willingly. Once she was expelled for violating the disciplinary demands of the class. Unabashed, she told her teacher that she didn't care and would "go and sell apples." But in less than two weeks she was back in class again. Her teacher for six years was the legendary Yelizaveta Gerdt, whose equally famous father, Pavel, taught Anna Pavlova and Tamara Karsavina. Thus Plisetskaya is a direct link and continuation of the traditions of the Russian ballet. Gerdt called Plisetskaya her "little diamond" and lovingly polished and refined the young pupil's talent. Plisetskaya graduated the school in 1943.
Maya Plisetskaya first performed at the Bolshoi Theatre when she had just turned 11 years of age. From the beginning, Plisetskaya was a different kind of ballerina. She spent a very short time in the corps de ballet after graduation and was quickly named a soloist. Her bright red hair and striking looks made her a glamorous figure on and off the stage. Her long arms had a fluidity that to this day remains unmatched; her interpretation of The Dying Swan, a short showcase piece made famous by Anna Pavlova, became Plisetskaya's calling card. Plisetskaya was known for the height of her jumps, her extremely flexible back, the technical strength of her dancing, and her charisma. She excelled both in adagio and allegro, which is very unusual in dancers.
Despite her acclaim, Plisetskaya was not treated well by the Bolshoi management. She was Jewish in an anti-Semitic climate, her family had been purged during the Stalinist era and her personality was defiant, so she was not allowed to tour outside the country for six years after joining the Bolshoi. It wasn't until 1959 that Nikita Khrushchev permitted her to travel abroad, and Plisetskaya could tour internationally. Her ability changed the world of ballet, setting a higher standard for ballerinas both in terms of technical brilliance and dramatic presence.
Plisetskaya's most acclaimed roles included Odette-Odile in Swan Lake (1947) and Aurora in Sleeping Beauty (1961). In 1958, she was honored with the title of the People's Artist of the Soviet Union and married the young composer Rodion Shchedrin, in whose subsequent fame she shared.
After Galina Ulanova left the stage in 1960, Maya Plisetskaya was proclaimed the prima ballerina assoluta of the Bolshoi Theatre. In the Soviet screen version of Anna Karenina, she played Princess Tverskaya. In 1971, her husband the composer Rodion Shchedrin wrote a ballet on the same subject, where she would play the leading role. Anna Karenina was also her first attempt at choreography. Other choreographers who created ballets for her include Yury Grigorovich, Roland Petit, Alberto Alonso, and Maurice Béjart with "Isadora."
In the 1980s, Plisetskaya and Shchedrin spent much time abroad, where she worked as the artistic director of the Rome Opera Ballet in 1984-1985, then the Spanish National Ballet of Madrid from 1987-1989. At the age of 65, she finally retired from the Bolshoi as a soloist. On her 70th birthday, she debuted in Béjart's piece choreographed for her and entitled "Ave Maya." Since 1994, she has been presiding over the annual international ballet competitions called Maya. In her 1994 autobiography, Plisetskaya discussed her father's execution under Joseph Stalin, her mother’s subsequent spell in exile, and her own struggle for artistic freedom. She and her husband, composer Rodion Shchedrin, eventually settled in Germany.
Russian ballerina and former prima of the Bolshoi Ballet, Maya Plisetskaya is often described as the greatest ballerina of the 20th century. In 2005 Plisetskaya received Spain's Prince of Asturias Award for the arts, and the following year she was granted the Japan Art Association’s Praemium Imperiale prize for theatre or film. In 2006, Emperor Akihito presented to her the Praemium Imperiale, informally considered a Nobel Prize for Art.
(Maya Plisetskaya, one of the world’s foremost dancers, ro...)
1991
Religion
Plisetskaya according to her husband had difficult relationship with religion nevertheless being a believer.
Politics
Maya Plisetskaya's family was one of those that suffered political repressions in the Soviet Union and her attitude towards the regime was far from warm. She is known to say that communism is worse than fascism. The security police tried to recruit her as an agent as being a famous performer she traveled extensively but she managed to avoid it. She was forced to be a member of the Anti-Zionist Committee of the Soviet Public by being threatened with having her passport revoked. When she traveled abroad in the 1960s, the Soviet secret police requested that she encourage the interest of Robert Kennedy, which she declined.
Views
While living in Germany, Plisetskaya and Shchedrin established a foundation in Mainz to create a public archive of their work and to support artistic endeavors in ballet and music. It was her powerful relationship with the Bolshoi that gripped the dance world’s imagination and, as she described it, kept her from leaving the Soviet Union.
Personality
From early childhood, Maya Plisetskaya was known for her endless reserves of energy, headstrong daring, and stubbornness.
Connections
Maya Plisetskaya married a fellow ballet dancer Māris Rūdolfs Liepa in 1956 whom she divorced three months later. In 1958, she married the young composer Rodion Shchedrin, in whose subsequent fame she shared. The couple had no children.
