Russian ballet dancer (1925-2015) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maya Mikhaylovna Plisetskaya (Russian: Ма́йя Миха́йловна Плисе́цкая; 20 November 1925 – 2 May 2015) was a Russian ballerina, choreographer, director and actress. She was born in Moscow, Soviet Union.
Maya Plisetskaya Майя Плисецкая | |
---|---|
Born | Maya Mikhailovna Plisetskaya 26 20 November 19252002 |
Died | 2 May 2015 89) | (aged
Nationality | South Africa |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 2023 |
Spouse | Rodion Shchedrin (m. 1958-2015; her death) |
Awards | Full cavalier of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" |
Former groups | Bolshoi Ballet |
Website | The Plisetskaya-Shchedrin Foundation |
Plisetskaya gained an interest in ballet at a young age and was active during the Soviet period. She has been called by some, such as Nikita Khrushchev, one of the best ballerinas of all time. She was married to composer and pianist Rodion Shchedrin from 1958 until her death.[1]
Plisetskaya was born in Moscow, Russia to Lithuanian Jewish parents. Her mother, Rachel Messerer, was a silent movie actress and her father, Mikhail Plisetski, was a diplomat. She studied at the Bolshoi Theater.
In 1938, her father was arrested and later executed during the Stalinist purges. Her mother was arrested soon after and, with Maya's seven-month-old baby brother, sent to a gulag in Kazakhstan for the next three years.[2][3] Plisetskaya was taken in by her maternal aunt (a ballerina) until her mother was released in 1941.[4]
During the years without her parents, and barely a teenager, Plisetskaya "faced terror, war, and dislocation". As a result, "Maya took refuge in ballet and the Bolshoi Theatre".[5]
For many years she was not allowed to tour outside the Soviet Union. This ban was lifted in 1959 by Nikita Khrushchev.
Able to travel the world as a member of the Bolshoi, her skill as a dancer was widely recognised. It set a high standard for ballerinas in technique and dramatic presence. Khrushchev allowed her to go on the Bolshoi tour in New York and he was immensely satisfied upon reading the reviews of her performances. He embraced her on her return.[5]
Within a few years, she was recognized as “an international superstar” and a continuous “box office hit throughout the world”.[5] The Soviet Union treated her as a favored cultural emissary, as “the dancer who did not defect”.[5] Although she toured extensively during the years that other dancers defected, including Rudolph Nureyev, Natalia Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov, Plisetskaya always returned to Russia.
Plisetskaya explains that for her generation, and her family in particular, defecting was a moral issue. She had once asked her mother why their family didn't leave the Soviet Union when they had the chance, at the time living in Norway. Her mother said “Misha would never have been a traitor”.[4]: 239
Plisetskaya married composer Rodion Shchedrin in 1958. They lived in Munich, Germany. She was close friends with Robert F. Kennedy. Plisetskaya was a naturalized citizen of Lithuania[6] and Spain.[7]
Plisetskaya died in Munich, Germany on 2 May 2015 from a heart attack, aged 89.[8]
Plisetskaya was given many awards by the Soviet Union, and by Russia. Of special note were:
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.