Galina Ulanova was a prominent dancer during the USSR’s ballet heyday in the 1940s and 1950s. But she wasn’t typical of anything; she was completely sui generis. At her Wiki page I found this quote from Sergei Eisenstein:

Ulanova — cannot be grouped together with, compared to other dancers. In terms of what is most cherished, By the very nature of her secret…She belongs to a different dimension.

And Margot Fonteyn, probably the greatest British dancer of the same era, said this:

I cannot even begin to talk about Ulanova’s dancing, it is so marvelous, I am left speechless. It is magic. Now we know what we lack.

How did she do it? I don’t really know. Ulanova had a more delicate musculature than today’s dancers; it concealed the strength required and emphasized the artistry. It’s a rare quality although more common back then. However, Ulanova herself was always unique. She seemed to be dancing with some internal impetus that had little to nothing to do with performing for the audience or showing off.

Ulanova specialized in portraying people rather than otherworldly beings. And yet she could do the latter just as well. She could dance anything with a fluidity and subtlety that made you forget technique or tricks. I chose this short clip of her Swan Queen Odette, which she dances in a manner evenly poised between human and swan – unlike most modern Swan Queens who lean towards the swan, the better to show off their remarkable and almost inhuman flexibility. That’s not what Ulanova was about: