Outstanding ballerina Ekaterina Maksimova dies at 70
Published 28 April, 2009, 13:14
The world famous Russian ballerina Ekaterina Maksimova has died on Monday night. The news was delivered by the Bolshoi theater management, where she spent all her dancing life on its famous stage.
Brought up in the best traditions of the academic school, Maksimova was praised by critics worldwide. She possessed an easy, elastic jump, had prompt-accurate rotation, natural grace and softness of lines. Her dance was both elegant and a demonstration of technical expertise.
In 1958 Maksimova graduated from the Moscow choreographic school and started working with the Bolshoi theater troupe. A year before finishing school she won the prestigious All-Soviet-Union competition of ballet dancers in Moscow.
On stage she appeared in duets with her permanent partner and spouse Vladimir Vasiliev. Together they were seen as the paragon performers of classic Russian ballets. Each of their performances in every part of the world became a major event.
Beginning with 1978, the talented ballerina started touring with international troupes and was featured in a number of ballet-films.
During her career Ekaterina Maksimova played all the significant roles of classical ballets: Giselle in the ballet of the same name by Adolph Adan; Kitri in Don Quixote by Ludwig Minkus; Swan Lake’s Odette-Odile and Sleeping Beauty’s Aurora, both composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s; as well as many more.
Up until the last days of her life she worked as a teacher and trained ballerinas in her beloved Bolshoi.
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