born Nov. 20, 1925, Moscow, Russia, U.S.S.R.
Russian prima ballerina.
She studied at the Bolshoi Ballet 's school in Moscow and joined the company as a soloist in 1943. Noted for her technical virtuosity and ability to integrate acting with dancing, she toured worldwide with the Bolshoi Ballet and appeared as a guest artist with several companies, including the Paris Opéra. She also danced in several films, including Swan Lake (1957). In the 1980s she was a guest ballet director in Rome and then in Madrid.
Maya Plisetskaya in Swan Lake, 1961.
Paris Match-Pictorial Parade