Maya Plisetskaya, prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet from 1943 to 1960 and prima balerina assoluta from 1960 to 1990.
A ballerina is a female ballet dancer.
Although the term ballerina is used for any female ballet dancer it was originally a rank given to an exceptional ballet soloist in the Russian Imperial ballet companies. The rankings, from highest to lowest, were:
- prima ballerina assoluta
- prima ballerina
- ballerina
- premieres danseur
- soloist
- coryphee
- corps de ballet
There were only two prima ballerina assoluta in Imperial Russia - Pierina Legnani and Mathilde Kschessinska, and two prima ballerina assoluta in Soviet Russia - Galina Ulanova and Maya Plisetskaya
See also
- Russian ballet
- Ballet companyde:Ballerina