Table of contents:
- Early debut and late goodbyes
- Why "Swan Lake" with Maya Plisetskaya was especially loved in India
- Was Maya Plisetskaya an agent of the special services
- How the eminent ballerina conquered not only the stage, but also the catwalk
Video: A spy for the KGB and a muse for Cardin: Little-known facts from the life of the great ballerina Maya Plisetskaya
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Graceful, daring and obstinate, even those who did not understand anything about ballet fell under her charm. Perhaps this was her strength. She was beautiful in everything - Maya Mikhailovna Plisetskaya - the greatest Soviet and Russian ballerina, who even at the end of her life did not leave the stage and the devoted spectator.
Early debut and late goodbyes
The debut of Maya Mikhailovna took place at the age of seven. Back in 1932, Mikhail Plisetskiy, authorized by the Consul General of the Soviet Union and the head of the Alkutikgol coal mines, was sent to the island of Spitsbergen. Plisetskiy also moved his family to cold Norway: his wife Rakhil Mikhailovna, daughter Maya and son Azari.
It was here that young Maya first appeared on stage in a small role in Alexander Dargomyzhsky's ballet production "Mermaid". From that moment on, the dance became a constant companion of Plisetskaya.
Even as a lady at an honorable age, she continued to delight fans with dance numbers. For the last time, as a ballet dancer, Plisetskaya appeared on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater in the play "Lady with a Dog" in 1990. In 1993, the ballerina celebrated her 50th birthday, appearing before connoisseurs of her work on the stage of the theater in the title role in the production of "Mad from Chaillot".
On November 20, 1995, on the occasion of her 70th birthday, Plisetskaya delighted fans with the production of Ave Maya, created for her by the choreographer Maurice Béjart. In 2000, Maya Mikhailovna appeared on the stage of the Japanese theater in the guise of the Heavenly Fairy.
Why "Swan Lake" with Maya Plisetskaya was especially loved in India
In 1953, during a tour of the Bolshoi Theater in India, Plisetskaya conquered local residents with the miniature "Dying Swan". Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru liked the work so much that he tried in every possible way to get to know the ballerina better, arranging frequent meetings.
At one of these, Nehru told the ballerina a legend about a swan, which says that this bird is the most faithful. It is because of this beautiful story that The Dying Swan was so loved in India.
Maya Mikhailovna performed The Dying Swan for the first time at the age of 14. Aunt Shulamith specially choreographed this dance for her. She has repeatedly noted the beautiful and plastic hands of Maya. Plisetskaya herself says that she appeared on stage in the form of the legendary Swan more than eight hundred times.
Was Maya Plisetskaya an agent of the special services
In the mid-1950s, while the Bolshoi Theater troupe was on tour in Switzerland, France and China, Maya Plisetskaya remained in Moscow. The KGB considered the case against the ballerina, believing that she is in close contact and correspondence with foreigners, and may be a spy for British intelligence.
Indeed, Maya Mikhailovna was on close friendly relations with Robert Kennedy. The president's younger brother did not hide his reverence for the Russian ballerina. He often congratulated her on her birthday, which, by the way, they had in common. His first gift was a gold bracelet inlaid with two key chains: one depicting Scorpio - their common zodiac sign, and the second - Archangel Michael.
But she was only interested in creativity, and she did not intend to be "running errands in power". In 1959, Khrushchev officially allowed the ballerina to perform abroad again.
How the eminent ballerina conquered not only the stage, but also the catwalk
Maya Mikhailovna loved to be dressed with a needle. Despite the difficulties faced by Soviet women of fashion, and the ballerina could not be allowed abroad for a long time, her outfits were always admired.
Once, at one of the official receptions, Nikita Khrushchev sarcastically asked the ballerina: “You are too beautifully dressed. Do you live richly? Plisetskaya kept silent, restrained. But she bought all these outfits several times more expensive from the usual speculator Klara.
She was the first Soviet ballerina to bring suitcases full of elastic leotards for training and expensive fabrics for tutus on business trips abroad. In Paris, Plisetskaya was introduced to the latest fashion trends by Elsa Triolet.
Yves Saint Laurent and Jean Paul Gaultier have specially created outfits for the ballerina. In the mid-1960s, she posed in diamonds and furs in front of the lens of American photographer Richard Avedon. In 1971, Nadia Leger introduced Maya Mikhailovna to Pierre Cardin. The ballerina became his muse for many years, charming people to the last in the fabulous creations of the designer.
From the memoirs of Maya Plisetskaya, the biggest gift she received in Paris from Serge Riffard was her acquaintance with the cult designer Coco Chanel. Then the eminent couturier wished Maya never to give up and uttered the words that remained with the dancer for life:
"Character is destiny."
Bright, contradictory, daring, quarrelsome, loyal, homely, loving - these contradictory combinations become unique personality traits that change history. One of these was the legendary Maya Plisetskaya.
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