Plisetskaya, Maya Mikhailovna (1925– )

Russian ballerina and actor. She attended the Moscow Bolshoi Ballet School and became prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet In 1945. An extremely strong yet supple dancer of great exuberance, she is noted for her fast spins, scissor-like jumps, and head-to-heel backward kicks, which she displayed to best advantage in the role of Kitri in Don Quixote. Her other noted classical role is Odette/Odile in Swan Lake.

She has also acted dramatic roles in such films as Anna Karenina (1968).