Maya Mikhailovna Plisetskaya is the greatest ballerina of the 20th century, who gave the world the infinitely delightful beauty of dance. She is a symbol of Russian culture, her name was known all over the planet, she was worshiped, poems and paintings were written. The titles that have been awarded to this woman are countless, and her moral lessons for students have become an invaluable legacy of pedagogy.
Biography
Maya was born in the Russian capital on November 20, 1925, on Sretenka, in the house of her grandfather, a dentist. When she was 7 years old, her father was sent to the Svalbard archipelago as a consul. The daughter and wife followed him.
And then 1937 happened. The father was shot, and the mother, along with her youngest son, ended up in the GULAG system and in 1938 was exiled to Kazakhstan. Maya was taken by the Messerers, relatives, and dancers of the Bolshoi Theater. It was Shulamith Messerer who took Maya to a dance school a little earlier, and she had to fight seriously to adopt a girl who could get into a shelter for "enemies of the people".
Only two months before the start of the Great Patriotic War, Maya Mikhailovna Plisetskaya was able to return to Moscow, where she entered the choreographic school, continuing her studies, and graduating in 1943. The famous Vaganova, from whom the future legend studied, called the student a "red crow" for her inattention and restlessness. After graduation, Maya was admitted to the Bolshoi Theater, and pretty soon the young ballerina acquired prima status.
Career
Since 1950, Plisetskaya has traveled all over the world with the troupe of the Bolshoi Theater. England, Italy, the USA - and everywhere her performances were greeted with enthusiastic shock. Maya has become a true legend of world ballet.
She created her own style of dance, introduced new elements into ballet choreography, danced with such passion and dedication that the audience cried and laughed at her solo performances. And after "The Dying Swan" she was seriously asked if there were bones in the dancer's hands, which turned into real wings on the stage.
In 1960, Ulanova, the "official" prima ballerina, left the Bolshoi, and Plisetskaya took her place. Many ballets and miniatures were staged especially for her. Maya also tried herself as a choreographer, creating incredible, plastic and vivid compositions on stage.
"Carmen" directed by Alberto Alonso turned into a real scandal and an incredible sensation. The Soviet stage preferred innocent and optimistic performances, while the Cuban ballet was about sex, power, wealth and fatal passion. The Minister of Culture decided to ban the production, but Plisetskaya's eminent husband, composer Shchedrin, saved the situation.
Then the innovative Maya wanted to dance "Bolero" by Maurice Béjart, and it was really hellish work. It was necessary to forget everything that Plisetskaya knew about plasticity and dance before. Unusual music, different vocabulary of the ballet, a devilish mixture of various elements of choreography. And she did it! And she flew around the stage, as always, light, passionate, frank and happy.
In addition to ballet, Plisetskaya trained young dancers, published 3 autobiographical books, and starred in more than 30 films. Her statements are still quoted on the Internet, the image inspires artists, directors, writers, and the list of awards, orders, titles and awards from various countries of the world, including Japan, Finland and France, is almost endless.
In the 80s, Maya and her husband spent a lot of time abroad, where she worked as the director of the Roman Theater, the Spanish Ballet, and staged ballet performances in New York. In 1990, due to a change in leadership, Plisetskaya was fired from the Bolshoi, which caused a huge scandal. However, the dancer herself reacted to this much more calmly than her many fans and defenders, among whom there were many influential people.
For the greatest ballerina, performances were also made, she performed, gave master classes and directed the Maya competition in St. Petersburg, which allowed gifted children to start a ballet career.
Personal life and death
Until the very meeting with her only love for life, Maya more than once started relationships with colleagues, and once even married for three whole months to Maris Liepa. But all this was forgotten forever, when Rodion Shchedrin, a pianist, composer, mentor, appeared on the path of a gifted woman.
It was truly eternal, unique and beautiful love. Maya and Rodion got married in the fall of 1958. They did not know what quarrels were, how they could not support each other and not go to the ends of the world for a loved one. The ballerina regretted only that she could not decide to leave the stage for a while and give her husband a child.
They inspired each other, and this incredible creative and marriage union lasted until the death of Plisetskaya, who died on May 2 in Munich, a little short of her 90th birthday, in 2015. According to the will of both spouses, after the death of Rodion, their bodies will be burned, the ashes will be mixed and scattered over Russia …
