Plisetskaya Dances / A Documentary on Maya Plisetskaya

Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary clips of Maya Plisetskaya in her great roles
Review: Maya Plisetskaya is one of those ballerinas that I call a "force of nature" in the best sense of the word. Whereas other ballerinas are conventionally pretty in a dainty, heart-shaped-face way, Maya with her piercing eyes and red hair is striking, regal and charismatic. This documentary is a remarkable collection of Plisetskaya in archival footage of her greatest roles. In all the clips, the strength of Plisetskaya's personality is at times overwhelming. Besides the warhorses like Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet, there are also clips of rarer ballets like Raymonda and The Stone Flower.
My favorite clip is Maya Plisetskaya dancing her trademark "Dying Swan." Other pieces allow Maya to show off her remarkable athletic ability (most notably as Kitri, where she achieves the seemingly impossible and kicks the back of her head in grande jetes). But the Dying Swan allows Maya to show off her still-unequalled boneless arms. The way her arms just seem to flutter like wings is something I've seen every ballerina try; no one can quite equal the amazing Maya. In a wonderful interview Maya Plisetskaya demonstrates how she uses her arms to the greatest effect, and watching the prima ballerina casually dressed in a black turtleneck flutter her arms like a bird is one of the best parts of the documentary. There's also interesting footage of Maya in dance class -- note how she takes classes with the men! In fact, one of Maya's most amazing qualities is her androgynous style -- she lacks the delicacy of Galina Ulanova or Margot Fonteyn, but seems to drip athleticism and charisma down to her long fingertips.
Maya's autobiography talks a lot about her personal struggles in the old Soviet Union. This video focuses more on her professional life. There are some rather cheesy shots of Maya in "everyday life" -- at a soccer game, in Venice, at home answering fanmail. But it is nice to see how even offstage, Maya seems to move with unbelievable grace and style.