Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev[a][b] (17 March 1938 – 6 January 1993) was a Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer. Nureyev is widely regarded as the preeminent male ballet dancer of the 20th century, as well as one of the greatest ballet dancers of all time.[c]
Nureyev was born on aTrans-Siberian train nearLake Baikal, in Siberia, Soviet Union, to aTatar family.[8] He began his career inLeningrad with the company that in the Soviet era was called theKirov Ballet. In 1961, hedefected to the West, despiteKGB efforts to stop him.[9] This was the first defection of a Soviet artist during theCold War, and it created an international sensation.
He went on to dance withThe Royal Ballet in London and became a global star. Known for his charisma, technical brilliance, and intense stage presence, Nureyev helped elevate the role of the male dancer in ballet. From 1983 to 1989, he directed theParis Opera Ballet and became its chief choreographer. He also produced his own interpretations of numerous classical works, includingSwan Lake,Giselle, andLa Bayadère.[10][11]
Nureyev was born on aTrans-Siberian train nearLake Baikal,[8] in Siberia, while his mother Farida was travelling toVladivostok, where his father Khamet, aRed Army political commissar, was stationed.[8] He was raised as the only son with three older sisters in aTatar Muslim family.[8][12][13][14] In his autobiography, Nureyev noted about his Tatar heritage: "My mother was born in the beautiful ancient city ofKazan. We are Muslims. Father was born in a small village nearUfa, the capital of theRepublic of Bashkiria. Thus, on both sides our relatives are Tatars andBashkirs. I cannot define exactly what it means to me to be a Tatar, and not a Russian, but I feel this difference in myself. Our Tatar blood flows somehow faster and is always ready to boil".[15]
When his mother took Nureyev and his sisters to a performance of the balletSong of the Cranes, he fell in love with dance.[16] As a child, he was encouraged to dance in Bashkir folk performances and his precocity was soon noticed by teachers who encouraged him to train inLeningrad (now Saint Petersburg). On a tour stop in Moscow with a local ballet company, Nureyev auditioned for theBolshoi ballet company and was accepted. However, he felt that theMariinsky Ballet school was the best, so he left the local touring company and bought a ticket to Leningrad.[17]
Owing to the disruption of Soviet cultural life caused byWorld War II, Nureyev was unable to enroll in a major ballet school until 1955, aged 17, when he was accepted by theVaganova Academy of Russian Ballet of Leningrad, the associate school of the Mariinsky Ballet. The ballet masterAlexander Ivanovich Pushkin took an interest in him professionally and allowed Nureyev to live with him and his wife.[18]
Upon his graduation in 1958, Nureyev joined the Kirov Ballet (now Mariinsky).[19] He moved immediately beyond the corps level, and was given solo roles as a principal dancer from the outset.[2] Nureyev regularly partnered withNatalia Dudinskaya, the company's senior ballerina and wife of its director,Konstantin Sergeyev. Dudinskaya, who was 26 years his senior, first chose him as her partner in the balletLaurencia.[18]
Before long, Nureyev became one of the Soviet Union's best-known dancers. From 1958 to 1961, in his three years with the Kirov, he danced 15 roles, usually opposite his partner,Ninel Kurgapkina, with whom he was very well paired, although she was almost a decade older than he was.[20] Nureyev and Kurgapkina were invited to dance at a gathering atKhrushchev'sdacha,[18] and in 1959 they were allowed to travel outside the Soviet Union, dancing inVienna at the International Youth Festival. Not long after, he was told by the Ministry of Culture that he would not be allowed to go abroad again.[21] In one memorable incident, Nureyev interrupted a performance ofDon Quixote for 40 minutes, insisting on dancing in tights and not in the customary trousers. He relented in the end, but his preferred dress code was adopted in later performances.[18]
Rudolf Nureyev after his defection from the Soviet Union in 1961.
By the late 1950s, Nureyev had become a sensation in the Soviet Union. Though Nureyev's rebellious character and non-conformist attitude made him an unlikely candidate for the tour with the Kirov Ballet, it became more essential he join the tour which the Soviet government considered crucial to its ambitions to demonstrate its "cultural supremacy" over the West.
Furthermore, tensions were growing between Nureyev and the Kirov's artistic director Konstantin Sergeyev, who was also the husband of Nureyev's former dance partner Natalia Dudinskaya.[22] After a representative of the French tour organisers saw Nureyev dance in Leningrad in 1960, the French organisers urged Soviet authorities to let him dance in Paris, and he was allowed to go.[18] In Paris, his performances electrified audiences and critics.[23]
Nureyev was seen to have broken the rules about mingling with foreigners and reportedly frequentedgay bars in Paris, which alarmed the Kirov's management[24] and theKGB agents observing him. The KGB wanted to send him back to the Soviet Union. On 16 June 1961 when the Kirov company gathered atLe Bourget Airport in Paris to fly to London, Sergeyev took Nureyev aside and told him that he must return to Moscow for a special performance in theKremlin, rather than go on to London with the rest of the company. Nureyev became suspicious and refused.
Next he was told that his mother had fallen severely ill and he needed to go home immediately to see her.[25] Nureyev refused again, believing that on return to the USSR he was likely to be imprisoned. With the help of French police and a Parisian socialite friend, Clara Saint, who had been engaged to Vincent Malraux, the son of the French Minister of Culture,André Malraux, Nureyev escaped his KGB minders and asked for asylum.[26] Sergeyev and the KGB tried to dissuade him, but he chose to stay in Paris.[27] Soviet authorities made Nureyev's father, mother, and dance teacher Pushkin write letters to him, urging him to return, without effect.[18]
In October 1961, Nureyev was secretly invited to make his London debut at the annual gala organised by prima ballerinaDame Margot Fonteyn for theRoyal Academy of Dance.[30] Nureyev dancedPoème Tragique, a solo choreographed byFrederick Ashton, and theBlack Swanpas de deux fromSwan Lake with Rosella Hightower.[30] During this time, he met DameNinette de Valois, director ofThe Royal Ballet, who invited him to dance with Fonteyn the next season. After the gala, he danced in the South of France and in New York before returning to London.[30]
As a guest performer of The Royal Ballet, Nureyev first danced with Fonteyn on 21 February 1962.[31][32] Nureyev received such a warm reception that he was given a contract to stay with the Royal Ballet for several more months and became a principal dancer.[33] He quickly became a favorite dancer among the British and gained a following of young admirers.[34] London critics called him the "Russian version ofJames Dean."[34] Ballet criticRichard Buckle wrote forThe Sunday Times: "A pop dancer—that's what we've got—a pop dancer dat last. What thetelly did for art, whatBilly Graham did for religion and what theDuke of Bedford did for architecture, Nureyev has done for ballet."[34]
In November 1961, theirPas de deux fromLe Corsaire at theRoyal Opera House was met with rave reviews.[35]The Sunday Observer hailed Nureyev as a "Nijinsky reborn" and predicted the pair would go down in ballet history.[35] TheDaily Express called Nureyev's performance "incredibly breathtaking" and added that Fonteyn, who was 19 years his senior, "shed half her years for match him with contrasting grace and sparkle."[35] Fonteyn and Nureyev were so well received that they proceeded to form a partnership that endured for many years. They premieredRomeo and Juliet for the company in 1965.[36][37] Fans of the duo would tear up their programmes to make confetti to throw at the dancers. Nureyev and Fonteyn sometimes did more than 20curtain calls.[32][38] A film of this performance was made in 1966 and is available on DVD.
On 11 July 1967, Fonteyn and Nureyev, after performing in San Francisco, were arrested on nearby roofs, having fled during a police raid on a home in theHaight-Ashbury district. They were bailed out, and charges of disturbing the peace and visiting a place where marijuana was used were dropped later that day for lack of sufficient evidence.[39]
Nureyev stayed with the Royal Ballet until 1970, when he was promoted to Principal Guest Artist, enabling him to concentrate on his increasing schedule of international guest appearances and tours. He continued to perform regularly with The Royal Ballet until committing his future to theParis Opera Ballet in the 1980s.
Nuryev and his partner Braun appeared as guest dancers with the newly formedAustralian Ballet at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney in December 1962.
Among many appearances in North America, Nureyev developed a long-lasting connection with the National Ballet of Canada, appearing as a guest artist on many occasions. In 1972, he staged a spectacular new production ofSleeping Beauty for the company, with his own additional choreography augmenting that of Petipa. The production toured widely in the U.S. and Canada after its initial run in Toronto, one performance of which was televised live and subsequently issued on video.
Among the National Ballet's ballerinas, Nureyev most frequently partnered withVeronica Tennant andKaren Kain. In 1975 Nureyev worked extensively with American Ballet Theatre resurrectingLe Corsaire with Gelsey Kirkland. He recreatedSleeping Beauty,Swan Lake, andRamonda with Cynthia Gregory. Gregory and Brun joined Nureyev in a pas des trois from the little-knownAugust Bournonville balletLa Ventana.[42]
His artistic directorship of the Paris Opera Ballet was a great success, lifting the company out of a dark period. His version ofSleeping Beauty remains in the repertoire and was revived and filmed with his protégéManuel Legris in the lead.
Despite advancing illness towards the end of his tenure, he worked tirelessly, staging new versions of old standbys and commissioning some of the most ground-breaking choreographic works of his time. His ownRomeo and Juliet was a popular success. When he was sick towards the end of his life, he worked on a final production ofLa Bayadère which closely follows theMariinsky Ballet version he danced as a young man.
Nureyev's first time conducting an ensemble, inDeauville, France (1991)
Nureyev testedpositive forHIV in 1984, but for several years he denied that anything was wrong with his health. However, by the late 1980s his diminished capabilities were becoming obvious.[44]
Although he petitioned the Soviet government for many years to be allowed to visit his mother, he was not allowed to do so until 1987, when his mother was dying andMikhail Gorbachev consented to the visit.[19]
In 1989, he was invited to dance the role ofJames inLa Sylphide with the Mariinsky Ballet at theMariinsky Theatre inLeningrad.[45] The visit gave him the opportunity to see many of the teachers and colleagues he had not seen since his defection.[46]
Nureyev began a marked decline in the summer of 1991 and entered the final phase of the disease in the spring of 1992.[47] In March 1992, living with advanced AIDS, he visitedKazan and appeared as a conductor in front of the audience at Musa Cälil Tatar Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, which now presents the Rudolf Nureyev Festival inTatarstan.[48][49] Returning to Paris, with a high fever, he was admitted to the hospital Notre Dame du Perpétuel Secours inLevallois-Perret, a suburb northwest of Paris, and was operated on forpericarditis, an inflammation of the membranous sac around the heart. He was determined to recover so that he could fulfill an invitation to conductProkofiev'sRomeo and Juliet at anAmerican Ballet Theatre benefit on 6 May 1992 at theMetropolitan Opera House in New York. He did so and was elated at the reception.[47]
In July 1992, Nureyev showed renewed signs of pericarditis but declined further treatment. His last public appearance was on 8 October 1992, at the premiere atPalais Garnier of a new production ofLa Bayadère that he choreographed afterMarius Petipa for theParis Opera Ballet. Nureyev had managed to obtain a photocopy ofLudwig Minkus' original score when in Russia in 1989.[50] The ballet was a personal triumph although the gravity of his condition was evident. The French Culture Minister,Jack Lang, presented him that evening on stage with France's highest cultural award, theCommandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.[47]
Nureyev's tomb in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, draped in traditional Tatar carpet
Nureyev re-entered the hospital Notre Dame du Perpétuel Secours in Levallois-Perret on 20 November 1992, and remained there until he died on 6 January 1993, at the age of 54, from AIDS complication; his diagnosis was not made public until the morning of his death.[51]
His funeral was held in the marble foyer of theParis Garnier Opera House. Many paid tribute to his brilliance as a dancer. One such tribute came fromOleg Vinogradov of the Mariinsky Ballet, stating: "What Nureyev did in the West, he could never have done here."[52]
Nureyev's grave, at the Russian cemetery inSainte-Geneviève-des-Bois near Paris, features a tomb draped in a mosaic of an Oriental carpet, akilim.[53] Nureyev was an avid collector of beautiful carpets and antique textiles.[47][48] As his coffin was lowered into the ground, music from the last act ofGiselle was played and his ballet shoes were cast into the grave along with white lilies.[54]
Yvette Chauviré of the Paris Opera Ballet often danced with Nureyev; he described her as a "legend".[56] Chauviré attended his funeral with French dancer and actressLeslie Caron.[57]
At the Royal Ballet, Nureyev andMargot Fonteyn became long-standing dance partners. Nureyev once said of Fonteyn, who was 19 years older than him, that they danced with "one body, one soul". Together Nureyev and Fonteyn premieredSir Frederick Ashton's balletMarguerite and Armand, a ballet danced toLiszt'sPiano Sonata in B minor, which became their signature piece.Kenneth MacMillan was forced to allow them to premiere hisRomeo and Juliet, which was intended for two other dancers,Lynn Seymour andChristopher Gable.[58] Films exist of their partnership inLes Sylphides,Swan Lake,Romeo and Juliet, and other roles. They continued to dance together for many years after Nureyev's departure from the Royal Ballet. Their last performance together was inBaroque Pas de Trois on 16 September 1988 when Fonteyn was 69, Nureyev was aged 50, withCarla Fracci, aged 52, also starring.
He celebrated another long-time partnership withEva Evdokimova. They first appeared together inLa Sylphide (1971) and in 1975 he selected her as hisSleeping Beauty in his staging forLondon Festival Ballet. Evdokimova remained his partner of choice for many guest appearances and tours across the globe with "Nureyev and Friends" for more than fifteen years.
Nureyev did not have much patience with rules, limitations and hierarchical order and had at times a volatile temper.[59] He was apt to throw tantrums in public when frustrated.[19] His impatience mainly showed itself when the failings of others interfered with his work.
In 1977, Nureyev andJamie Wyeth became unexpected friends when the dancer was staying at the artist's property in Maine.[63] Wyeth compared Nureyev's off-stage charisma to "having a panther in the house." Nureyev posed for 41 drawings and paintings, which have been described as some of Wyeth's "most vibrant, vivacious works.[64][63]
Most ballerinas with whom Nureyev danced, includingAntoinette Sibley,Cynthia Gregory,Gelsey Kirkland andAnnette Page, paid tribute to him as a considerate partner. He was known as extremely generous to many ballerinas, who credit him with helping them during difficult times. In particular, the Canadian ballerinaLynn Seymour – distressed when she was denied the opportunity to premiereMacMillan'sRomeo and Juliet – says that Nureyev often found projects for her even when she was suffering from weight problems and depression and thus had trouble finding roles.[65]
Depending on the source, Nureyev is described as either bisexual,[66][67] as he did have heterosexual relationships as a young man, or homosexual.[68][51] Even though he had several long-term partners, he was promiscuous, and frequentedgay bathhouses and engaged in anonymous pick-ups.[19] "I used to fly to Paris from London for sex," he once boasted. "God, it was great. The English were too prudish and reserved, but in Paris . . . !"[69]
Nureyev metErik Bruhn, the celebratedDanish dancer, after Nureyev defected to the West in 1961. Nureyev was a great admirer of Bruhn, having seen filmed performances of the Dane on tour in the Soviet Union with theAmerican Ballet Theatre, although stylistically the two dancers were very different. Bruhn and Nureyev became a couple and they had a volatileon-and-off relationship until 1966.[70] They remained friends until Bruhn died in 1986.[71]
In 1969, Nureyev metWallace Potts in Atlanta during the Royal Ballet Tour of North America.[72] Potts, a recent physics graduate fromGeorgia Tech, had a greater passion for theater and cinema. Immediately drawn to one another, the two men were soon living together.[73] Potts often accompanied Nureyev on tour and made 16mm films of him rehearsing and performing.[74] Life with Potts developed into "a kind of marriage," offering the stability he so desperately sought but Nureyev's infidelities caused a strain in their relationship.[69] In 1975, Potts left Nureyev when he walked in on him having sex with a Frenchman.[75] According to a friend, "there had been no lover whose loyalty" Nureyev valued more than Potts and he regretted not staying with him.[76] Following Nureyev's death, Potts worked as a film archivist for the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation.[77]
In 1979, Nureyev met American dancer and classical arts studentRobert Tracy.[51] They were lovers for the first two and a half years, and Tracy became Nureyev's secretary.[51] Tracy lived at Nureyev's New York apartment atthe Dakota until 1993.[78] In 1992, Tracy had hired a lawyer to negotiate a settlement from Nureyev.[78] Despite working on books, Tracy had no reliable source of money and was concerned about his own health.[78] Although he continued to reside at the Dakota, Nureyev's lawyer sent him three eviction notices the week before Nureyev died.[78]
Following Nureyev's death, under an agreement with the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation, Tracy was paid $600,000 in instalments on the condition that he would not speak publicly about their relationship.[51] After the agreement lapsed, Tracy spoke toThe Guardian about their relatonship in 2003: "He was content not to commit himself to one person. I was happy not to be committed too, it meant I was free. It was 1979, towards the end of the gay revolution. I never thought he would live exclusively with me. I had boyfriends—and girlfriends—too."[51] According to Tracy, Nureyev said that he had a relationship with three women in his life, he had always wanted a son, and once had plans to father one withNastassja Kinski.[51]
In 1979, Nureyev purchased an apartment in the Dakota in New York.[79] In 1981, he bought an apartment at 23Quai Voltaire in Paris.[80][81]
In January 1995, the contents of Nureyev's six-room Manhattan apartment were auctioned atChristie's in New York.[82] Proceeds from the sale went to the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation.[82] There were rows of his worn ballet slippers, a collection of his famous hats, and the costumes he donned in ballets.[82] There was also a copper Victorian bathtub, arococo Venetian glass chandelier, anElizabethan carved oak tester bed that he kept covered with exotic shawls andkilims, and two upholstered sofas that had belonged to the sopranoMaria Callas.[82] His collection of paintings includedJoshua Reynolds'Portrait of George Townshend, Lord de Ferrars andHenry Fuseli'sSatan Starting From the Touch of Ithuriel's Lance.[82] A total of $7.94 million was accumulated during the two-day sale.[83]
In November 1995, the items in Nureyev's Paris apartment were put up for auction at Christie's in London.[84] Four paintings byTheodore Gericault were among the collection, but the major letdown of the sale was that they were not sold.[85] However, there was a lot of interest in items that showed the dancer's unique taste: a Russian Karelian-birch library table; a double manualharpsichord made byJohannes Ruckers in 1627; five velvet 18th-century gaming purses; Japaneseobis andsashes forkimonos; formal dresses, court suits and waistcoats from 18th- and 19th-century France and England; a large collection of 19th-centuryKashmir scarves; and dozens of classical LPs ofsymphonic,ballet,chamber, andbaroque music.[85] The two-day sale brought in $2.79 million, and the proceeds went to the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation.[85]
In 1975, Nureyev founded the Ballet Promotion Foundation with the goals of managing and investing an endowment fund and any other assets, as well as allocating grants from investment revenue to the Foundation's beneficiaries.[86] He left an estimated $33 million to his nonprofit, which was renamed after him in 1994.[51][86] Its objects essentially stayed the same, albeit some were clarified and broadened as directed by Nureyev prior to his death.[86] The Rudolf Nureyev Foundation "protects and preserves Nureyev’s legacy for the future, ensuring his choreography is performed to the highest possible standards."[87]
Nureyev was above all a stickler for classical technique, and his mastery of it made him a model for an entire generation of dancers. If the standard of male dancing rose so visibly in the West after the 1960s, it was largely because of Nureyev's inspiration.[2]
Nureyev's influence on the world of ballet changed the perception of male dancers; in his own productions of the classics the male roles received much more choreography.[51] Another important influence was his crossing the borders between classical ballet and modern dance by performing both.[88] Today it is normal for dancers to receive training in both styles, but Nureyev was the originator and excelled in modern and classical dance. He went out of his way to work with modern dance great,Martha Graham, and she created a work specially for him.[89] Nureyev made great strides in gaining acceptance of Modern Dance in the "Classical Ballet" sphere.[89]
Nureyev's charisma, commitment and generosity were such that he did not just pass on his knowledge.[90] He personified the school of life for a dancer. Several dancers, who were principals with the Paris Opera Ballet under his direction, went on to become ballet directors themselves inspired to continue Nureyev's work and ideas.Manuel Legris was director of theVienna State Ballet and now directsLa Scala Theatre Ballet,Laurent Hilaire was ballet director of theStanislavski Theatre of Moscow and is now director ofBavarian State Ballet at Munich, and Charles Jude was ballet director of theGrand Théâtre de Bordeaux.[90]
Mikhail Baryshnikov, the other great dancer who like Nureyev defected to the West, holds Nureyev in high regard.[91] Baryshnikov said in an interview that Nureyev was an unusual man in all respects, instinctive, intelligence, constant curiosity, and extraordinary discipline, that was his goal of life and of course love in performing.[91][92]
Nureyev had a late start to ballet and had to perfect his technique to be a success.John Tooley wrote that Nureyev grew up very poor and had to make up for three to five years in ballet education at a high-level ballet school, giving him a decisive impetus to acquire the maximum of technical skills[93] and to become the best dancer working on perfection during his whole career.[94] The challenge for all dancers whom Nureyev worked with was to follow suit and to share his total commitment for dance. Advocates to describe the Nureyev phenomenon precisely are John Tooley, former general director of the London'sRoyal Opera House,Pierre Bergé, former president of Opéra Bastille, venue of the Paris Opera Ballet (in addition to the Palais Garnier) andManuel Legris, principal dancer with the Paris Opera Ballet nominated by Nureyev in New York.
Nureyev put it like this: "I approach dancing from a different angle than those who begin dancing at eight or nine. Those who have studied from the beginning never question anything."[95] Nureyev entered the Vaganova Ballet Academy at the age of 17 staying there for only three years compared to dancers who usually become principal dancers after entering the Vaganova school at nine and go through the full nine years of dance education. Nureyev was a contemporary ofVladimir Vasiliev, who was the premiere dancer at the Bolshoi. Later, Nureyev was a predecessor toMikhail Baryshnikov at the Kirov Ballet, now the Mariinsky Theater. Unlike Vasiliev and Baryshnikov, Nureyev did not build his reputation on success in international ballet competitions, but rather through his performances and popular image.
Paradoxically, both Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov became masters of perfection in dance.[93][1][96] Dance and life was one and the same, Pierre Bergé said about Nureyev: "He was a dancer like any other dancer. It is extraordinary to have 19 points out of 20. It is extremely rare to have 20 out of 20. However, to have 21 out of 20 is even much rarer. And this was the situation with Nureyev."[97][98] Legris said: "Rudolf Nureyev was a high-speed train (he was a TGV)."[99][100] Working with Nureyev involved having to surpass oneself and "stepping on it."[101]
After so many years of having been denied a place in the Mariinsky Ballet's history, Nureyev's reputation was restored.[52] His name was re-entered in the history of the Mariinsky, even though he danced there for only three years. Some of his personal effects were placed on display at the theatre museum in what is nowSt. Petersburg.[52] A rehearsal room was named in his honour at the famed Vaganova Academy.[52] As of October 2013, theCentre National du Costume de Scène has a permanent collection of Nureyev's costumes "that offers visitors a sense of his exuberant, vagabond personality and passion for all that was rare and beautiful."[104]
1997 Russian postal cover honouring Nureyev
Since his death in 1993, the Paris Opera has instituted a tradition of presenting an evening of dance homage to Nureyev every 10 years. Because he was born in March, these performances have been given on 20 March 2003, 6 March 2013 and 18 March 2023.[105]
On 7 November 2018, a monument honouring Nureyev was unveiled at the square near the Musa Cälil Tatar Academic Opera and Ballet Theater in Kazan. The monument was designed byZurab Tsereteli and its unveiling ceremony was attended by President of TatarstanRustam Minnikhanov, state adviser of the Republic of TatarstanMintimer Shaimiev and mayor of KazanIlsur Metshin. At a speech in the unveiling event, Minnikhanov stated "I think, not only for the Republic, Rudolf Nureyev is an international value. Such people are born once in a hundred years."[108][109][110]
In 1972, SirRobert Helpmann invited him to tour Australia with Nureyev's production ofDon Quixote.[115] In 1973, a film version ofDon Quixote was directed by Nureyev and Helpmann and features Nureyev asBasilio,Lucette Aldous asKitri, Helpmann asDon Quixote and artists of theAustralian Ballet.
In 1978, he appeared as a guest star on the television seriesThe Muppet Show[117] where he danced in a parody called "Swine Lake", sang "Baby, It's Cold Outside" in a sauna duet withMiss Piggy, and sang and tap-danced in the show's finale, "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails". His appearance is credited with makingJim Henson's series become one of the most sought after programs to appear in.[118]
In 1979, Rudolf Nureyev collaborated withStanley Dorfman to direct a stage and television special performance of Giselle, with music composed byAdolphe Adam. Dorfman also took on the role of producer.[119][120] The ballet was recorded in a studio setting and remains the only filmed performance of the unabridged version featuring Nureyev.[121] Nureyev portrayed the character of Prince Albrecht, whileLynn Seymour took on the role of Giselle.Monica Mason fromThe Royal Ballet performed as Myrtha, the Queen of the ghostly Wilis. The Ballet of theBavarian State Opera played a significant part in the production, and The New World Philharmonic was conducted by David Coleman.[119]
Rudolf Noureev au travail à la barre (Rudolf Noureev Exercising at the Barre) (1970) (4 min 13)[122]
Nureyev (1981), byThames Television. Includes a candid interview, as well as access to him in the studio.[123]
Nureyev (1991). Directed by Patricia Foy, the 90-minute documentary chronicles the ups and downs of Nureyev's career, and his professional relationship with Margot Fonteyn, his rumoured depression and his overall effect on modern dance.[124]
Rudolf Nureyev – As He Is (1991). Directed by Nikolai Boronin, the 47-minute Soviet documentary about Nureyev also includes a long interview with Nureyev during his visit toLeningrad in 1990.[125]
Nureyev: From Russia With Love (2007), by John Bridcut
Rudolf Nureyev: Rebellious Demon (2012). Directed by Tatyana Malova, the Russian documentary explores the life of Nureyev. The documentary was released on the 80th birth anniversary of Nureyev.[126]
Rudolf Nureyev – Dance To Freedom (2015), Richard Curson Smith
Rudolf Nureev. The Island of his Dream (2016) (Russian:Рудольф Нуреев. Остров его мечты, Rudolf Nureyev. Ostrov ego mechty) by Evgeniya Tirdatova
Nureyev: Lifting the Curtain (2018). Directed by David and Jacqui Morris, the documentary looks into the extraordinary life of Nureyev, with archive interviews and dance sequences.[127]
Nureyev (2017), a ballet production of theBolshoi Theater, directed byKirill Serebrennikov and Yuri Posokhov. The premiere, scheduled for July 11, 2017, was suddenly canceled by theater directorVladimir Urin three days before the opening,[128] reportedly by the intervention over "gay propaganda" by Culture MinisterVladimir Medinsky,[129] and finally opened on December 9 and 10, 2017.[130] It was permanently dropped from the theatre's repertroire in April 2023, due to the signing into law ofLGBT censorship.[129]
The White Crow (2018).[131][132] Directed byRalph Fiennes,Oleg Ivenko plays Nureyev as an adult.[133] The film culminates in his defection at Le Bourget Airport when he was 23 years old. Earlier scenes narrate Nureyev's life: from his birth aboard the train, to childhood lessons in his nativeTatar dance, his "ruthless dedication" to the art form, his rigorous training and early ballet performances at the Mariinsky Theater. The film shows his strongindividualist tendency and aloof demeanour, at times appearing arrogant and even cruel.[134]
^Nureyev, Rudolf (1963).Nureyev: an autobiography/Rudolph Nureyev (in Russian). N.Y: E.P. Dutton. p. 233.ISBN978-0-525-16986-4.OCLC869225790.Original quote: Мать моя родилась в прекрасном древнем городе Казани. Мы мусульмане. Отец родился в небольшой деревушке около Уфы, столицы республики Башкирии. Таким образом, с обеих сторон наша родня — это татары и башкиры. ...Я не могу точно определить, что значит для меня быть татарином, а не русским, но я в себе ощущаю эту разницу. Наша татарская кровь течет как-то быстрее и готова вскипеть всегда.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
^abcdefghiJohn Ezard and Carolyn Soutar (30 January 2003)."Nureyev and me".The Guardian. London.Archived from the original on 3 April 2020. Retrieved3 May 2012.
^Baryshnikov's tribute to NureyevArchived 20 February 2019 at theWayback Machine, the wording of Mikhail Baryshnikov's statement about Rudolf Nureyev, filmed by David Makhateli at Le Palais des Congrès in May 2013, site of the Nureyev foundation.
^abMichael Gard (2006). Men who Dance: Aesthetics, Athletics & the Art of Masculinity, New York, Peter Lang Publishing Inc., p. 65.
^Il était danseur comme les autres. C'est formidable d'avoir 19 sur 20. C'est très rare d'avoir 20 sur 20. Mais, d'avoir 21 sur 20, c'est encore beaucoup plus rare. Et ça, c'était le cas de Noureev. » (original citation of Pierre Bergé).
^(in French)Rudolf Noureev, danseur et chorégrapheArchived 19 January 2015 at theWayback Machine, review by Kader Belarbi, 6 November 2013, website of the Théâtre du Capitol, Paris, extract: "À côté de lui, il fallait vraiment se surpasser. ... À partir de ce moment-là, j'ai commencé à mettre les bouchées doubles." – By his side, you had to surpass oneself. ... From this very moment I started stepping on it. (Kader Belarbi, principal dancer with the Paris Opera Ballet when Nureyev was director and chief choreographer).
^Set and Costume Designs forDon Quixote byBarry Kay for both the stage production at the Adelaide Festival (1970) and Nureyev's movie version, gala world premiere at the Sydney Opera House, 1973.
^"Lake Havasu city plays a starring role in special".Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. 6 May 1972. p. 12-D.
^Clark, Lester; Catherine, Freeman.After noon plus. Nureyev. U.K. : Thames Television, 1982, 1981.OCLC83489928.Originally aired on June 17, 1981. Contains an updated introduction by Mavis Nicholson. The profile, titled Nureyev, features interviews with Nureyev recorded in a restaurant and in the studio during a rehearsal for Maurice Béjart's Songs of a wayfarer Chant du compagnon errant.
^Tobias Grey, "Decoding Nureyev's Rebellious Streak" inThe Wall Street Journal, 15 April 2019. Interview withDavid HareArchived 7 January 2022 at theWayback Machine, author ofThe White Crow screenplay: quotes; 'white crow' as a "childhood nickname denoting someone who is 'unusual' and 'an outsider'."
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