Maya Plisetskaya / Майя Плисецкая The Dying Swan

Maya Plisetskaya became Prima Ballerina Assoluta of the Bolshoi Theater in 1960, one of only 16 ballet dancers ever given this supreme title. The young ballerina was glorified by the role of Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, which she performed when she was only 22 years old. A unique feature of her performance was free, as if boneless, wing-like arms. These arms made iconic her performance of the The Dying Swan, in which Plisetskaya “floated out” from behind the curtains with her back to the audience. She was mesmerizing. Music: “The Swan“ by Camille Saint-Saëns Born November 20, 1925, Maya Plisetskaya / Майя Плисецкая was a Russian ballet dancer, frequently cited as the greatest ballerina of the modern era. When she was very young, her family was ravaged by the Stalinist purges. However, Maya was encouraged by her artistic family to pursue dance and ballet. She was admitted to the Moscow Choreographic School, which produces most of the Bolshoi Ballet dancers, a year earlier than her classmates. She excelled in her studies and when accepted to the Bolshoi Theater ballet company as a soloist, completely bypassing the corps. This was highly unusual but very indicative of the enormous talent Plisetskaya possessed. Maya chaffed against the oppressive regime of the Soviet Union. During the 1950s, she was not allowed to travel abroad with the Bolshoi company, due to her strong will and individualist attitude. Yet her talent was undeniable. She rose to the top of the ballet world with her dancing. After a career which spanned six decades, she retired as a soloist and focused her attention towards teaching the next generation of ballet dancers. Maya Plisetskaya died May 2, 2015 at the age of 90. If you enjoyed this, please subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking on this link: Thank you kindly for watching. Pam Boehme Simon for Graceful Beast Ballet #mayaplisetskaya #pamboehmesimon #dyingswan #gracefulbeastballet #gracefulbeast