Maya Mikhailovna Plisetskaya (20 November 1925 – 2 May 2015) was a Soviet ballet dancer, choreographer, ballet director, and actress. She was one of the most gracious people in her field and influenced generations of ballerinas.
It can be said that the reason why Plisetskaya was such an amazing ballerina is not about “technical” abilities, such as her remarkable flexibility or other similar skills that one can learn with practice. Her magic came from her natural grace, with which she was born or which she learned, that enabled her to tell a full story with each one of her elegant and organic movements. And that cannot be taught at any academy.
She was indeed singing with her body and this can be seen both in her stage performances and in the recordings of the lessons she gave to younger balerinas.
Watching her is always a marvellous experience, she conveyed energy and style and was always subtle in terms of ballet details.
“Your character is your fate” she would say, which are words of wisdom everyone should take to heart.