Life in Ballet. The Family Chronicles of Plisetskys and Messerers

"Life in Ballet" - memoirs akin to a biblical saga about the legendary dynasty of Plisetskys-Messerers; the story of an artistic clan against the backdrop of revolutions, wars, arrests, and theatrical premieres, written by the youngest member of the family,... Azariy Mikhailovich Plisetsky. Before the reader's eyes unfolds the golden age of Russian and world ballet: the great Galina Ulanova, the legendary creator of Cuban ballet Alicia Alonso, French choreographer Maurice Béjart, the magnificent Mikhail Baryshnikov, and, of course, the author's elder sister - the demonic and irresistibly beautiful Maya Plisetskaya. In a sense, the brother's book is written in response to his sister's memoirs. We are presented with another version of well-known events: the optics seem to change before our eyes, a new angle emerges, and the frame enlarges. At the same time, Azariy Plisetsky has the tact to maintain distance, even in the most difficult life situations, preserving the impeccable composure of a true ballet cavalier.