7 years later i have watched this video so many times and each time when i get to your comment i am crying. I am 12 years old and i live in Oregon United States and i would like to dance the swan just as Maya did some day. Thank you for your comment.
+Ithila My Russian teacher loved Plisetskaya and said she had the most beautiful, fluid arms. She showed us in class the movement of the arms to achieve that liquid effect...very, very difficult, but it was second nature to Plisetskaya. She was one of the Greats.
In my opinion, arm and hand movements are what define Russian school. It's so exquisite. Plisetskaya, Pavlova, Makarova, Lopatkina, Zakharova, they all had/have such an unexplainable, otherworldly fluidity in their port de bras, something so swan-like it makes you wonder whether they're humans after all. Their gorgeous wings tell a story alone. Now you won't find this magic outside Russian tradition, because other schools emphasise other things in their teaching method other than the upper body. Once Russian ballerinas are no longer taught how to dance with their wings (not arms), ballet will be gone and dead.
I decided to learn this piece (I also dance ballet, but not nearly at a professional level!) to perform at my MIL's celebration of life, and just one hour of rehearsing it makes me sweat and ache more than ANY of my regular classes! And my own dance teacher, who's not a young woman but has danced all her life and still teaches the acro classes along with ballet, couldn't even do some of the things Maya is doing at age 61 in this dance! Incredible indeed.
personally, i find this, and her other later performances, the most beautiful of all versions of this. other dancers have performed this so wonderfully, with such urgency, desperation and pathos but to see an older ballerina imbue this with such gravitas, such depth, is awe-inspiring. she moves like liquid, like smoke, but is always pinned to the earth by her slow death. it makes me think that only a dancer at the end of her reign can truly express the tragedy of the dying swan, only a dancer who can see the end of their own dancing can truly understand the desperation and sorrow of this piece. it's a tragedy but so beautiful.
+brioesque Do you thin that is so because the older we get, the more we are aware of upcoming death? The younger, the more fearless, the older, the more experienced and sentimental. I guess she could more closely relate to the role with years of life behind her.
+Mira Gurska definitely! i'm sure she was aware of how little time she had where she could still dance this and i think that knowledge gives a weight to her performance. it mirrors the dance.
I watched this breathtaking performance the following year in an intimate NYC theatre. Maya would have been nearly 62. The ovation was loud and long, deafening devotion that went on for more than 20 minutes until suddenly the lights dimmed to introductory notes and there she came AGAIN, tiptoeing like a ghost out of the the blue mist. Can you imagine... a repeat performance.
My mother tried to get me to appreciate this piece, but I was a stupid teen. Later I saw this and cried like a baby because Maya became the dying swan. Then I realized I was crying for the beauty of swans, the creature, and the tragedy of their death. She sold me. We should be kind to animals and appreciate they are graceful but their lives are short. Maya was such a gift to all humankind.
Such artistry as is rarely seen these days. I saw her dance this at about that age and it had such an impact on me that I have never forgotten. Multiple pirouettes and high extensions fade from memory very quickly, but not artistry that touches the sole. Dianne
I am a 69yo Australan gay male who had the the great good fortune to see Maya live in Melbourne in 1979. It was the most extraordinary experience. When I saw her performance, she was already 44yo. to see this film tonight at 61yo is unbelievable. The one aspect I remember the most about her performance, was the beauty and fluidity of her arms. When she made her first entrance, the thing I remember the most was the most sensous rippling of her arms and shoulder muscles and even more the complete control of her entire body. That control came from the smallest use of her feet on pointe on her entrance, I have never seen such control before, it was absolutely amazing.
Robert Harrison I am a 61 y.o. man - straight. You don't have to be gay to love this masterpiece of traditional russion ballet. Also straight men can enjoy it. Just said ...
Probably one of the most inspiring things I've seen. To be able to keep your body in that condition at 61 is nothing short of extraordinary! BRAVO Madam truly!
You could feel the passion and expression and emotion in her dancing in a way I dont see with other Ballerinas. It wasnt just about the dance it was also about expressing the feelings
The name of Maya Plisetskaya was synonymous with the Bolshoi Ballet in the second half of the twentieth century. I had the privilege of introducing film versions of her performances in"Carmen" and "Anna Karenina" at the House of Soviet Culture In Bombay in the 1980's. The American Consul and his wife called me to ask if they could attend. Mr. Smirnov, head of the House of Soviet Culture was delighted to welcome them as his personal guests.So Maya Plitsetskaya had a hand in the earliest thaw in American-Soviet relations though she never knew it. Her art belongs to the world - to all mankind! The fact that this extraordinarily gifted woman could dance like this at the age of 61 speaks for itself.
+Jessica Lethen I loved Fonteyn and saw her perform this in the 70's but Plisetskaya was the swan of all swans. Her liquid arms and heartbreaking expressiveness were breathtaking. She loved swans so much that she had them on her property at home and studied them to learn and duplicate their wing movements. I think she and the swans were on the same wavelength here.
Невозможно описать словами насколько обидно, что так мало комментариев на русском...Это настолько идеальное исполнение, что временами кажется, что Майя Михайловна не балерина, а лебедь! Браво!!!
she is so wonderful. Her arm movements are perfect and she is seemingly so relaxed when she dances, something difficult to master on pointe. Such an inspiration. So beautiful.
I was so privileged to see her during this tour. We were about 6 rows back, center stage. The emotion that she created and then sent directly into our hearts was incredible. Such mastery! Her back and arm muscles were a sight to see. You could see each movement - strength and beauty. And her final moments were wrenching. It was a dual between fighting to keep on living and then realizing she must eventually give in to the inevitable.
this is usually performed as some sort of ballerina showpiece. There are very few dancers - Pavlova among them - who show it for the meditation on death it is, or can be. Plisetskaya the best of them. And unlike Pavlova's, this is no easy death. She does not go gentle. The end of the piece...that last attempt to get up, kidding herself that she's made it, and then...and even then, down, one last fight. Her grand hands, her head...over. the best. Even in that silly tutu - which almost makes sense, as a swan costume - she brings tears.
Yes, her body expresses the tiny bits of the movement of the swan soul, it's a complete transformation, she is a swan here not a human. I cried watching, reading the comments, and writing.
SUBLIME DIVA!!!! I am utterly and completely blown away whenever I watch this. This brought me to unexpected tears the first time I watched it. When her swan collapsed and the stage fell dark the tears fell out of nowhere. LOVE HER!!!
I've been haunted by her image for 45yrs!!! seeing this today is the very special treat I needed!!!Blessed are the eyes that saw her dance live as I did!!! FABULOUS,no matter her age!!!!
I remember her saying in one of the countless interviews that true art is understood without any further explanation. She said that technical tricks in ballet have to be explained but true art will always be felt by the audience. A million plus hits definitely prove that. RIP, Maya, the greatest ballerina and a beautiful soul.
@Flamingo 2 Hello sir yes I know what it means and I do not mean it in a bad way it was my 1st reaction at first and until now Maya takes my breath away still as she is my dancing inspiration!!💖😊
Such a beautiful and elegant performance. It is like watching a lily floating in the pond of Monet's painting. Light, airy and beautiful created by talent and hard work.
I just came here from Ulyana's Dying Swan, which moved me to tears. Some of the commentators mentioned Maya, who I have never heard of before. Had I not been wrung out already, I think they would also have flowed with Maya's performance. Exquisite.
Wow I’ve never seen anyone move their arms so fluidly and gently just like waves on water and flapping wings like her! This is just mind blowing yet made me so emotional because she reminded me of my parrot who died in summer, he was fighting to get up until his last breath moving almost exactly like her.... it’s like she has seen real birds dying and really incorporated the authentic death and emotion into it. Bravo, bravissimo and I hope my bird is with her in heaven now 😭
Not as knowledgeable in ballet as much as most of the people here, but I do know the first time I saw this video I cried. Gorgeous, I am 25 and I am stunned at this lovely 61 year-old woman. PERFECT.
I love how she interpreted the piece so personally, so well. It's wonderful how at that age, she can still perform, and at the same time, how a woman at that age is able to relate to a piece like that better (as compared to other young dancers whom mortality is such a distant topic.) Certainly not the same as Pavlova's swan, which I think is more "fighting off dying", hers has that sense of trying to retain her pride and grace of her old, glory days as she is nearing her end. Still beautiful.
Absolutely amazing. I've never seen anyone dance this beautifully. I almost cry because it's just sooo beautiful and to think that she's 61 at that time.
How on earth could anyone give thumbs down? I would like to see what those persons are able to do, if anything , at that age. This was exquisitely BEAUTIFUL. Man hat Träne in die Augen.
Just beautiful. I️ saw her perform this on TV when I was a little girl. I’m sure it was her. I was so awestruck by her incredible grace. I’ll never forget those arms. Just recently discovered these RU-vid videos. She lives on:)
I just found out that she is gone. What an artist! She just took command of the stage and never let it go. Agnes de Mille wrote that not since Pavlova had she seen a more exciting theatrical personality than Plisetskaya. A true legend, and she will remain so. Rest in peace, beautiful lady--you have earned it--
I am appalled by all of you who mention the word age in such a negative tone! Art is eternal and the body has unlimited possibilities, depending how intelligently you are working with it! I could do now(over 40) what I could not at 16!!!
I saw Maya Plisetskaya when the Bolshai Ballet came to the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, England in 1962 and to see her dance the Dying Swan is one of the most moving and joyous memories of my life. She was an amazing performer and in my opinion the best ballet dancer ever.
its wonderful ..i am speechless....i have seen it at-least 20 times....if she comes to India, definitely i will go....She is ultimate...plz do a show in India....
First time I've seen this because I had her book in my hands this evening, so I wondered if there were any videos online. This is the first time I've ever seen her dance. Ive never in my whole life, 63 years old, balletomane since I was 7, have I ever seen port de bras like this! EXTRAORDINARY!
Ms. Jennifer Dustin, thanks for finding the right words for this. and I'd like to add: her whole being is a prayer in itself! I couldn't stop my tears the whole time... she has brought me to the depth of God's beauty!
I was among the many fortunate to see Plisetskaya, here in New York at City Center, during the mid 1980s. Our Greatest Living "Jewish" Prima Ballerina. Brava for the Ages!
How could 24 people NOT like this video?! Not only is M. Plisetskaya an amazing dancer, but at 61 years of age dancing ANYTHING en pointe as exquisitely as this deserves a thumbs up, not down.
This is what true life-long passion looks like. If only we could all find something this beautiful to live for in our lives. She is absolutly amazing!!!
what a mesmerizing dancer. her movements are so fluid...I find it hard to believe that anyone watching this video would not get carried away in her emotion.
