Watching a Ballerina do what I think is called a Arabesque Penché brought me to this. I am not an expert but am a fan. Her leg was higher than 180° if that even possible. She did this alone. Absolutely alone. No one holding her hand. And very very slowly. I was absolutely in awe. Fascinated by this ballerina ? Doing that move to Urhalis song Telapatia ( was a tic toc ). From that moment I have been fully Immersed… everything Ballet. It’s no wonder after a very short time. I came to This Iconic Dancer. I realize she is 52 here but have seen other clipping of a younger her. I am trying to understand what is meant by she mastered both adagio and allegro? Which is very unusual in a dancer. trying to view her at both. Also to see why she was a master. I also wondered if she could do a stand alone Arabesque Pence 180°. I cannot see anyone that can compare to Ms. Maya P. This talent must come from TMH GOD IMHO. she stated in a clip. She was gifted with talent and energy. She did not have to practice very hard. Amazing. May she SIP.
Are you new to ballet? First of all, Maya Plisetskaya was the Prima Ballerina Assoluta (Italian, absolutely first ballerina) of her generation; very, very few dancers receive this title, so that alone should tell you the standard. Typically, ballerinas are stronger in solos or pas de deux that are very fast in tempo, or very slow in tempo (“adagio” means “slow” in Italian), rarely both. So when it is said that Plisetskaya was good in both, it means exactly that. You can see that the title of this video is “Rose Adagio,” which is a very famous and difficult slow solo. Plisetskaya was also famous for her very flexible back and yes, I am certain she could do the arabesque penchée at 180 degrees, but this is much more the style now than when she was dancing. The French dancer Sylvie Guillem was the first to regularly elevate her foot to her ear as though it were nothing, and all dancers since her time now have to do this, but it wasn’t so in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, so you can’t really compare dancers who performed 30-50 years apart. However, Plisetskaya often gives the impression of technical modernity, even now, in many videos of her, but the other important quality she had was in her acting ability….her solo, “The Dying Swan” is incredible, and she is also famous for her portrayal of Kitri in the ballet “Don Quixote.” I hope this helps you a little….have fun! Plisetskaya had a very hard childhood and was persecuted by the Soviet government for most of her prime dancing years, but she refused to give in or give up, and this is another reason why she’s one of my favorite dancers!
I have to agree. Aurora is not the perfect part for Plisetskaya. Of course, her technique is not in question. At least in this clip, she's almost too "stiff" and harsh and doesn't have the youthful sweetness and innocence of Aurora.
I think he means stiff in her attitude to the role. She didn't crack a smile!! And unfortunately the camera did not really show the last series of balances.
@@sedekiman Sweet and naive were not her things, she never danced Giselle for that reason. Maya was perfect for the roles of Odette/Odille, Mehmene-Banu, Kitri and Carmen. She looks too regal for Aurora, more like a queen, than a princess. I'm sure she was great in this role in her youth, but later Maya simply grew out of it.
@@marijakrigere9985 Plisetskaya never danced Giselle bc she was persecuted by the Soviet government all the prime years of her career….she would have been a wonderful Giselle! When she was a child, her father was a victim in one of Stalin’s famous purges, even though he was a solid Party member and was in charge of much of the country’s coal production, but he was murdered by Stalin anyway. As a result, her mother, a famous actress from a family dynasty of actors and dancers, was put in prison for 8 years with the other wives of executed men (Asaf Messerer, Maya’s maternal uncle, was a famous Bolshoi dancer, innovator, choreographer and teacher: his sister, Sulamith Messerer was also a famous Bolshoi dancer who adopted Maya when her mother was sent to prison, and was responsible for shaping Maya’s technique and acting; she also started ballet in Japan, by herself!). So, probably bc of what happened to her parents, she was treated like a criminal or potential spy and, instead of being schooled in the most important roles, she was forced to tour in backwaters all over the Soviet Union. She was highly versatile, a Prima Ballerina Assoluta, so it’s utter nonsense to say she wasn’t “right” for some roles!!
She’s 52 years old here, and she’s doing this, I think, bc she missed doing many important roles like Aurora in her prime and had to learn them later….the Soviet government really persecuted her during those prime years, but she never gave in or gave up.
A Rose Adagio with no roses. What’s with these Russians who can never get it right with Sleeping Beauty? Even the great Plisetskaya doesn’t come looking all that great in this. Her technique is fine, but just like Natalia Makarova, her idiosyncratic way of moving did not marry well to the pure classical style required of Sleeping Beauty. And just like Makarova, the role came to her too late in her career. The best Aurora of Plisetskaya’s generation was Dame Margot Fonteyn.
