MAYA PLISETSKAYA

Dancer, People's Artist of USSR (1959), Hero of Socialist Labor (1985). Choreographed, in which she performed principal roles: "Anna Karenina" (1972, together with other choreographers), "The Seagull" (1980), "The Lady with the Dog" (1985).

Perhaps the dancers do not grow old, or maybe they know some special secret struggle with time. Or is it a secret known only to the great ballerina, the great women? How to know his semi-mythical, poluistoricheskie heroine. The secret of "eternal youth" and offered any woman in the concourse of the divine, unattainable, made her an object of worship. And how many ladies would give all the treasures of the world, all lovers, all good for one - never grow old. And how many ladies "were killed on the battlefield with age, how many tragedies knows this struggle as the fate of the destroyed much drama, and comedy in this, in general, unequal battle, because time is inexorably winning.

And yet "our" sometimes boils over. Take a look at photos of Plisetskaya in recent years, by golly, it is still the same girl as she was fifty, forty, thirty years ago, sometimes it even seems that she prettier every year, there is some kind of soulful, deep beauty. And though she Maya M. wrote that at twenty years ago a woman all day and night looks good, after thirty - three to four hours a day, and after fifty - a few minutes, it is generally not covered. She has many years on stage and in life looks delicious. And she is still dancing . . . The absolute record in the ballet . . . If the art may be record . . .

When Maya Mikhailovna was getting married to Rodion Shchedrin, Lilly Y. Brik, who knew Plisetskaya, joked to the groom: "I like your choice. But the one flaw in Maya is great. Too many relatives around the white light. " Indeed, in the family of Mikhail Borisovich Messerer - Plisetskaya's grandfather on his mother, a dentist, had twelve children, all of them, one way or another, family, and some have linked their lives with a ballet, for example, Asaf Messerer - a virtuoso dancer and excellent teacher.

Photo — «Maya Plisetskaya»

Rachel M. , Plisetskaya's mother, too, was no stranger to art. Eastern her appearance attracted filmmakers, and Ra Messerer shot back in dumb sentimental films starring resurgent Uzbek women. Only his father was far from elegant handicrafts and held quite earthly administrator positions. In 1932 he was appointed consul-general and head of the coal mines in Svalbard. Against this bleak island took stage debut in a small Maya opera Dargomyzhsky "Mermaid," which could overpower the inhabitants of the local Russian colony, whiling away the endless winter nights. The role of the Little Mermaid got red-haired daughter of the Consul General.

It is difficult to say that to a greater extent determines the choice of way of life, especially when it comes to a still very young, but our heroine literally all day long plagued parents' requests for admission to the Ballet School. Finally, my father gave leave, and upon arrival in Moscow in 1934, identified the girl in ballet school in the class of the former soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre Evgenia Ivanovna Dolinskaya. However, the first "dance" a year of Maya did not last long, the parents should have to return to Svalbard, a daughter, despite the abundance of his relatives, to leave Moscow was not with anyone.

New Arctic winter on the island lasted for girls are particularly slow, Maya is longing for, seemingly, so easily acquired hobby and so quickly taken away. And as soon as spring came, the father, seeing the anguish his daughter, decided to send the girl with the first drifting ice to the mainland. Maya has lagged behind in its class, and a new teacher it was Elizabeth Gerdt - a nice man, gentle, even - as she writes about her Plisetskaya. "But the analytical wisdom, professional clairvoyant nature Gerdt not let go. She saw that this is correct, but it is not, explain, teach, what, how, why," prescription "could. " Throughout his life dancing Maya M. suffered from the fact that she did not receive the full, classical ballet education that many discoveries in the school had to make the most cost trial and error.

Photo — «Maya Plisetskaya»

Study in Choreography School went on as usual: Plies, fondues, great Batman, worn in the blood of his fingers. Meanwhile, the thirty-seventh inexorably closer, and he came to twelve Maya on April 30, several hours before the May Day demonstration, to which the girl joyfully preparing for, came at dawn, with a cast iron weight steps and sudden, frightening call. Next - ominously typical sequence of events of those years. The arrest of the mother, shot his father, sealed apartment and have nowhere to go . . .

Maya's aunt took care of Shulamith, a ballet dancer, with which was not easy. On the one hand, the girl was obliged to her cousin to many: that did not pass the Maya in the orphanage that she had the opportunity to continue doing things you love. On the other hand, Shulamith ". . . in retribution for the good every day, every day the patient abused me. " Family Plisetskys broke up for Maya's childhood was over. Brother, Alexander stayed with his uncle Asaf.

Thanks to good people - strelochnitse at the station, where Rachel's feet tossed from the prison car note - managed to Maya to learn the fate of the mother. The former film actress, wife of the former Consul-General was sent in Shymkent. On the fate of his father the great ballerina Maya Plisetskaya learned only in 1989 from the mean spravochki of rehabilitation.

A ballet lived my, beautiful, colorful life, far from the reality and horror of the Gulag. Choreographic disciples participated in the current repertoire of the Bolshoi. Maya dancing fairy-crumb in Sleeping Beauty and flowers in The Snow Maiden, eagerly ran to rehearse the main company and breathlessly watched the polished arabesques gastrolershi of Leningrad - the divine Ulanova. June 21, 1941 Maya Plisetskaya successfully debuted in the final concert in the school orchestra on the stage of the Bolshoi branch with "Impromptu" by Tchaikovsky. "The Moscow audience enthusiastically took the number. Maybe it was - to speak boldly - Peak concert.

Photo — «Maya Plisetskaya»

We bow to no end. My mother was in the room, and I was able to see her happy eyes, luchivshiesya baignoire of the box. "

Yes, before the war, the fate of a sudden smile of their family - from exile with her little brother, born in the summer of 1937, returned to Rachel. After Shymkent she settled with the Maya have Shulamith. And every night, Rachel established a cot by the door a tiny room in which they lived four - the middle brother to take away from Asafa had no chance. However, this prison came to the war. Thanks to the efforts of Shulamith Plisetskys evacuated to Sverdlovsk, where a modest three-room apartment close Engineer crammed 14 people. Now, the main kind of activity Maya became the queue - with three-digit numbers on hand, with rare, but violent quarrels with detached eyes of companions on the long dull line. And the slower moving countless turns, the faster the time flew, the more Plisetskaya panic. Already a year she lived with no training, was no ballet. More painful sting Maya what amounted to Sverdlovsk reports that classes at home school are continuing.

In desperation, Plisetskaya decided to fool the laws of war-time action - without a permit she made her way to Moscow and, despite missing a year, was admitted to a single graduating class of Maria Mikhailovna Leontyeva. The reward for perseverance and dedication to the ballet for Plisetskaya has five on the exam in the spring of 1943 and enrolled in the Bolshoi Theater.

It begins with a chorus, with one of eight nymphs in the opera "Ivan Susanin. Of course, an ambitious debyutantsha offended, worried, tried to seek the assistance of relatives: "I have never danced in the corps de ballet . . . " However, his uncle Asaf was relentless and very brief: "And now you will. "

"I could not disobey, but to protest - a protest. Got up instead of fingers to toes, danced without makeup, not warming herself before. "

To keep myself in good shape Plisetskaya willingly participated in concerts in Moscow clubs.

Photo — «Maya Plisetskaya»

Here she averted soul danced all like: "Dying Swan," "Melody" by Gluck, "Elegy" Rachmaninoff. The scenes there were often close, narrow, cold, but they, unnamed similar one on another, with dim lighting and a hasty dressing, gave confidence ballerina Plisetskaya, and the livelihoods they bring considerable. For many years, being already recognized as prima Ballet Plisetskaya refer to these club scene, when it became financial trouble, and invariably, these "left" concerts rescued her.

For the first time success in the theater came to Maya Mikhailovna in "Les Sylphides. " Each jump young ballerina in which it is fantastic for a moment hung in the air, caused a storm of applause. Appeared first fans, already some balletomanes came on Plisetskaya. One day after Chopiniana to Maya approached the famous Vaganova. Rehearsal with the renowned pedagogue transformed Plisetskaya, it was the springboard from which ascended a ballet Olympus, our heroine.

By the end of the war, to the time when the big stars back of the theater, Plisetskaya has firmly established its name among the most promising artists.

A child was a happy dancer, when, after the premiere of "Raymonda" photos of her and a small note about a new dancer appeared on the pages Ogonyok.

A crucial role in the life of Plisetskaya played ballet "Swan Lake". In which only scenes in which only cities not dance Maya M. Odette-Odile his. More than eight times . . . Thirty years - 1947-1977-th . . . "I believed and still believe that" The Swan "- the touchstone for any ballerina. In this ballet would not hide, do not hide. . . . All in the palm of the whole palette of colors and technical tests, the art of reincarnation, the dramatic finale. Ballet requires computation of all mental and physical strength. Vpolnogi "The Swan" is not stantsuesh. Every time after the ballet, I felt devastated, turned inside out. The forces returned only on the second, the third day. "

World fame came to Plisetskaya's back in those years when it is because of the all-powerful Soviet-era KGB considered "Restricted to travel abroad.

Photo — «Maya Plisetskaya»

" Five years, Maya Mikhailovna remove from a list touring, five years she went to classrooms KGB and party bosses, five years of humiliation, and petitions - continued refusal without explanation. But Sol Hurok, the famous American impresario, already outlines the repertoire for future tours, and has all high-level foreign guests drive on Plisetskaya, already Aragon, the famous French poet, in another visit to the Soviet Union threatened to talk about the ballerina and her own misfortune with Khrushchev. But only in 1959, when the hated head of the KGB is replaced Serov more loyal boss, Plisetskaya finally included in the seventy-tour in the U. S. . Thus began the worldwide fame of the Russian ballerina.

With her husband, Rodion Shchedrin Plisetskaya met at the house of Lily Brik in 1955 at a reception hosted in honor of the arrival in Moscow, Gerard, Philip. But a fleeting encounter only three years later grew into true love. After the premiere of "Spartacus" Shchedrin called Maya Mikhailovna and asked to come to her in class. But the evening was a journey to Moscow in the summer - rest in Karelia, and by the fall - a trip by car to the sea, and since they do not leave for more than forty years. In August 1958, our heroine becomes pregnant. She would be a difficult choice - to give birth to a loved one and throw the ballet or to continue to dance. She chose the second path.

The name of Shchedrin linked and ballets, which Plisetskaya describes as "my". When thoroughly fed up with the old, secular repertoire - Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Swan Lake - Maya Mikhailovna started to think about their allegiances - that would be a more dance. "The idea of Carmen lived in me all the time - something smoldering somewhere in the depths, the imperative was torn out. With whoever wanted to talk about their dreams - the image of Carmen was the first . . . "

Initially, Plisetskaya would inspire this thought Shostakovich, Dmitrii Dmitrievich but refused, citing the fact that the music of Bizet is so strong that any new interpretation of the famous story about the gypsy will only irritate.

Photo — «Maya Plisetskaya»

Then it took over Rodion Shchedrin. He found the only correct option. Bearing in mind the words of Shostakovich, Shchedrin maximally preserve the music of French composer to adapt it to choreographic interpretation. So there was "Carmen Suite". Ballet, for which Plisetskaya long battled with the powers that be, defending their right to work, was put Cuban Alberto Alonso.

The first experience has led to a new one. In 1971, Plisetskaya began rehearsing "Anna Karenina", which also wrote the music Shchedrin. The idea of this ballet, prompted by, oddly enough, Jacqueline Kennedy. Admiring Maya Mikhailovna on tour in the U. S. , the wife of an American president was amazed how great Russian ballerina, like the heroine of Tolstoy. For Tolstoy, followed by Chekhov - ballet "The Seagull" and "Lady with Lapdog. "

Social Life of Maya Plisetskaya, one can only envy. It was a close friend of Lily Brik, was friends with his sister Elsa Triolet Brick and her husband, Aragon. Plisetskaya portrait painted Chagall, for it put the Maurice Bejart ballet, her excitedly invited to the reception of the President, prime ministers and kings. Robert Kennedy, after learning that Plisetskaya's birthday in one day with him, during his lifetime, each year, which would at this time neither was a great dancer, has always sent her a basket of flowers and a gift. Pierre Cardin produced Plisetskaya own free and costumes for "Anna Karenina" and "Seagull. " And behind it all - a favorite thing and loved people. Perhaps therein lies the secret of eternal youth by Maya Plisetskaya.