Lydmila Vlasova is a Soviet ballet dancer. She was a soloist of the Bolshoi and a choreographer of dance on ice. Vlasova was born in 1942 in Moscow, Soviet Union to Iosif Markov, a musician. Her mother worked at the Red Army Theatre. Lydmila's mother realized her daughter's potential of becoming a ballerina and turned her to choreography school. Following graduation, She joined Bolshoi Theatre with which she performed in London and the USA and danced with such greats as Maya Plisetskaya, Ekaterina Maximova, Natalia Bessmertnova, and many others. She was the leading ballerina of the Bolshoi Theatre, where in 1971, acting in the movies Naughty Limericks and Keystone, she met with Alexander Godunov. Soon they began to meet regularly and Lyudmila left her wealthy husband for him. They were one of the most beautiful couples in the Bolshoi Theatre of the 1970s. The couple headlined foreign tours as well as the domestic productions of Swan Lake, Spartacus, Ivan the Terrible, Anna Karenina, The Rite of Spring, Love for Love, and Romeo and Juliet. On August 19, 1979, after the last performance of their Romeo and Juliet tour in the Metropolitan Opera, Vlasova and Godunov returned to their New York hotel. The day after, however, the New York Post published a picture of Alexander Godunov with a headline: "After Baryshnikov, Nureyev, and Makarova, another star of Soviet ballet remained in the West." Ballerina Lyudmila Vlasova in the later 60s - early 70s was a real. Her name on the posters during the overseas tour gathered full halls in London and Paris. She had a talent, a Bolshoi theater, a beautiful loving husband. But fate prepared her a great test. Together with her husband, the ballerina she traveled the whole world with tours. She shone in such productions as Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet. Her career was great. In fact, everything she dreamed of in a creative way, she was able to get here. She staged numbers for Mila (“The Swan Princess”, “Fly the Pigeons”), which created a real sensation, and she was invited to the programs of Maya Plisetskaya, Natalia Bessmertnova, Ekaterina Maximova. Vlasova performed with almost all the stars of the USSR ballet of that time. She was constantly invited to perform at government concerts, which was a symbol of the highest glory. Vlasova, the brilliant soloist of the Bolshoi Theater, could choose parties and teachers. She always wanted to work with Marina Timofeevna Semenova. Although at first the teacher put the "star" on the very edge of the machine, but after a few rehearsals, Vlasov was moved to the center, which was a sign of recognition from the mentor, few days later, Godunov contacted the US authorities with a request for political asylum. After news of his request reached the Soviet authorities, she was asked to board a flight to Moscow alone. However, the aircraft was detained by U.S. authorities just before take-off as the State Department verified that the Vlasova was returning to the Soviet Union voluntarily. This created an international incident, requiring the involvement of Leonid Brezhnev and Jimmy Carter, leaders of the USSR and the U.S., respectively. After three days of negotiation, she was allowed to fly back home. After returning to Moscow, she continued to dance at the Bolshoi Theater until her retirement.

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