Struchkova was born on 5 October 1925 in Moscow to a factory worker.

She studied at the Moscow Ballet School, her teacher was Elizaveta Gerdt.

Unlike other famous female ballet dancers of that time like Galina Ulanova and Maya Plisetskaya she didn't become an international star, but the Cinderella role made her famous nationwide.

[1] In 1949 she starred as Dawn in Coppélia and the same year played a role of Parasha in The Bronze Horseman [ru].

Throughout her career she danced as a leading role in such ballets as Giselle, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, the Sleeping Beauty, the Nutcracker, and many, many others.