Maya Plisetskaya is a ballerina, choreographer, and actress known worldwide. She is renowned for her technique and grace, as well as her astonishing emotionality in dance. She is also renowned for her incredible character, tenacity, hard work, and compassionate attitude toward herself and her abilities. Being a ballerina isn't just physically challenging: grueling training, pain, early retirement. It also involves intrigue, envy, constant scrutiny, restrictions, and sometimes poverty—to continue creating and improving under such circumstances requires a very strong character. Maya had just that. Neither war, separation from her mother, nor political conflicts broke her or swayed her from her chosen path. She became one of the most famous ballerinas in the world. Her performances inspired thousands of girls to take up ballet and believe in themselves.