Endless dance of Maya Plisetskaya

One of Russia’s towering artists, ballerina Maya Plisetskaya, is celebrating a milestone birthday. At 87 years old, she has preserved her ability to mesmerize and marvel loyal admirers worldwide. (Moscow. The Bolshoi Theater. Ballet dancer Maya Plisetskaya at training, 1985)

A series of concerts and performances dedicated to the enchanting and indefatigable artist will take place in Russia and overseas. (Film "Ballerina", 1970)

The redheaded star of the Bolshoi Theater has been a stunner from the very first “pas” she took on stage. Her technical excellence, plus enthusiasm and intelligence were encouraging, her feminine charisma undeniable. No wonder she has never been in a corps de ballet of the Bolshoi. (Maya Plisetskaya and Nikolai Fadeyechev performing "Preludes and Fugues" by German composer Johann Sebastian Bach. The Bolshoi Theatre, 1968)

The award-winning ballerina's worked with the leading light of top-class world choreography – Maurice Béjart, Roland Petit, Alberto Alonso, and Yury Grigorovich, performing all over the world. ( Bolshoi Theatre ballet dancers, 1985)

Plisetskaya once said that one of the secrets of her success was moderation. Unlike many young ballerinas who tortured themselves with endless rehearsals to gain sought-after excellence, Plisetskaya confessed she never burned the midnight oil, allowing herself to enjoy exercise instead of hating it. (Russian dancer Maya Plisetskaya starring as Isadora in the eponymous ballet staged for her by the Belgian choreographer Maurice Bejart, at Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre, 1986)

Dancing like a queen, she could be recognized by the height of her flight of fancy and height of her jumps on stage, as well as trademark emotional eloquence. She could say so much with just a wave of her hand or a turn of her head. The Dying Swan was her breakthrough role which she delivered with unprecedented tour de force. (Maya Plisetskaya (left), before a performance, 1965)

Ballet carried her away from the tragedies of her past. Born into a Jewish family in 1925, Plisetskaya's father was killed during the Stalinist purges; her mother arrested and sent to a labor camp with her baby son. It was Plisetskaya's aunt, Sulamith Messerer – a ballerina and choreographer – who fostered the love of ballet in the little Maya, after her parents were brutally taken from her, with a slim hope for survival. (Ballet dancer Maya Plisetskaya acting as Princess Betsi Tverskaya in the film Anna Karenina, 1966)

However, Plisetskaya's life and career can hardly be imagined without Rodion Shchedrin. Her partnership with the outstanding composer has stood the test of time – they have been together for more than half a century; a living example of a genuinely happy, magnificent creative marriage. (Maya Plisetskaya and her husband and composer Rodion Shchedrin take a walk in a forest outside Moscow, 1962)

Maya Plisetskaya and Azary Plisetsky, her brother and ballet dancer at the same theater, relaxing, 1962. Russian-born Azari Plisetsky, who joined the National Ballet of Cuba as Alicia Alonzo’s partner in the ’60s, is credited, by way of his teaching, with revitalizing ballet in Cuba.

She wasn't afraid to break away from historical canons and experiment with different styles of dancing, combining them with classical ballet. Her talent was noticed early on, but affirming her own unique style took a long time. (Bolshoi Theater Tour in America. Maya Plisetskaya familiarizes herself with newspaper reviews, 1962)

Maya Plisetskaya performed as a model by demonstrating the costumes of the French fashion designer Pierre Cardin, 1987. Pierre Cardin saw Maya Plisetskaya as his muse. For Maya, he created beautiful costumes for Anna Karenina, Chaika (The Seagull), and Dama s Sobachkoi (A Lady with a Dog) ballets.

Famous Russian ballerina Maya Plisetskaya celebrates her birthday on stage of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater, 2000. The Financial Times on Maya's 80th birthday: “She was, and still is, a star, ballet's monstre sacré, the final statement about theatrical glamour, a flaring, flaming beacon in a world of dimly twinkling talents, a beauty in the world of prettiness”.

Maya Plisetskaya performing at a gala performance at Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre marking her birthday, 1995. This time Maya will celebrate her birthday in Munich, where her husband, composer Rodion Shchedrin works.

Russia's prominent ballet dancer Maya Plisetskaya has been made an Officer of the Legion of Honour during an award ceremony in French embassy, 2012. Her life and work so far was summarised by the French ballet critic André Philippe Hersin in three words: “genius, audacity and avant-garde.”