Rudolf Nureyev in 1080p "La Sylphide" with Carla Fracci

Ballet: "La Sylphide"
Choreography: August Bournonville
Composer: Hermann Lovenskjold
Dancers: Rudolf Nureyev and Carla Fracci
Performance Notes: 1972

Rudolf Nureyev was born on March 17, 1938, in Irkutsk, Russia, U.S.S.R. Of Tartar descent, Nureyev was born with a powerful, yet lythe, physique and dashing movie star good looks. He died on January 6, 1993, in Paris, France where he is buried beneath a stunning mosaic red "blanket" grave marker. Nureyev's suspended leaps and fast turns were often compared to Vaslav Nijinsky’s legendary feats. He was a flamboyant performer and a charismatic celebrity who revived the prominence of male ballet roles and significantly widened the audience for ballet.

Nureyev began his ballet studies at age 11, left school at 15, and supported himself by dancing. At 17 he entered the Leningrad Ballet School under the tutelage of Aleksandr Pushkin. He was an outstanding but sometimes rebellious student. He would disobey curfews, had little regard for fraternization regulations, and secretly taught himself English. He loved the arts, and was greatly inspired by paintings. He would regularly visit and study them whenever and wherever he could.

After graduating in 1958, he became soloist with the Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Kirov (now Mariinsky) Ballet and danced leading roles with its touring company. While in Paris with the Kirov Ballet in June of 1961, Nureyev was able to elude security at the airport and requested asylum in France. He said later that he did so as his opportunities to dance frequently and to perform in a variety of roles had felt very limited.

After his defection he danced with the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas and made his American debut in 1962, appearing on American television and with Ruth Page’s Chicago Opera Ballet. Later that year he joined the Royal Ballet (London) as permanent guest artist, but he never became a member of a major dance troupe in the West, preferring to work with various companies on a temporary basis.

His self titled autobiography was published in 1962. In 1973, he co-directed with Robert Helpmann, and starred in a filmed version of Don Quixote. Nureyev also had acting roles in the films Valentino in 1977 and Exposed in 1983.

Nureyev became an Austrian citizen in 1982. From 1983 to 1989 he was artistic director of the Paris Opéra Ballet. He continued to choreograph for the American Ballet Theatre and the Paris Opéra Ballet even as his health declined from AIDS-related complications. He died in 1993 at the age of 54.

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