Maria Viktorovna Butyrskaya aka Maria biography

Real biography: Maria Butyrskaya is a six-time Russian Champion and has won both the European and World Championships.Born in Moscow, Maria began to skate when she was five years old. In 1991 she began training with Victor Kudryavtsev and then switched to renowned coach Elena Tchaikovskaya. Known for her balletic style, Maria has recently added more classical music to her repertoire to become an excellent all-around stylist. She is the most elegant and stylish female figure skater in the world.Maria toured with the World Tour of Figure Skating Champions during the 1996 season and performed with Discover Stars on Ice in 1997, skating alongside figure-skating greats Scott Hamilton and Kristi Yamaguchi. In April, 1997, she performed in the A&E special, "the Art of Russian Figure Skating," which was filmed in Simsbury, Connecticut, and showcased the premiere Russian talent skating today.Maria captured the Bronze Medal at the World Figure Skating Championships held in Minneapolis in 1998. Maria is the first Russian woman who became the World Champion in 1999. She toured with Champions on Ice, along with other World and Olympic Champions, during the 1998 and 1999 spring seasons. In addition to her busy competition schedule, Maria always finds time to perform in various exhibitions throughout the United States. In spring of 2001, she toured Canada with Skate the Nation and Chrysler Stars on Ice.Multi-talented, Maria choreographed her short programs for the 1997-1998 and 1999-2001 seasons, and her interpretive program for the 1999-2000 season. She is also involved in designing her costumes. Maria is a graduate of the Academy of Physical Culture of Russia, from which she received her Masters Degree in Figure Skating and Coaching. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, roller-skating, and dancing.