Galina was born in St. Petersburg on January 8th, 1910. She studied in the Leningrad Choreographic School under Agrippina Vaganova herself. She was also taught by her own mother, who was a ballerina of the Imperial Russian Ballet. She joined the Mariinsky Theatre in 1928. Both her dancing and acting talent allowed her to perform in many important shows and gain critical acclaim. In 1944, Joseph Stalin noticed her fame. He moved her to the Bolshoi Theatre. She danced as the prima ballerina assoluta at the Bolshoi for 16 years. In 1945, she danced the role of Cinderella in Sergei Prokofiev's premiere of Cinderella. Her first tour was at age 46, and she shocked international audiences. She retired at age 50 but continued to teach young dancers. She died in 1998 in Moscow. She was 88 years old. There are monuments erected in her honour and her apartment building is now a museum. She was called great and complimented by Sergei Prokofiev, Margot Fonteyn, Maya Plistetskaya, Maurice Bejart, and Rudolf Nureyev.
Awards
Awarded the Hero of Socialist Labour Awarded the People's Artist of the USSR. 1041, 1946, 1947, 1950 - Stalin Prizes 1957 - Lenin Prize