(17th March 1938 – 6th January 1993) was a Soviet ballet dancer and choreographer. He was director of the Paris Opera Ballet from 1983 to 1989 and its chief choreographer until October 1992. Named Lord of the Dance, Nureyev is regarded as one of ballet’s most gifted male dancers.
He died of AIDS.
…
– – –
Nureyev was born on a Trans-Siberian train near Irkutsk, Siberia, Soviet Union to a Bashkir-Tatar family. He began his early career with the company that in the Soviet era was called the Kirov Ballet (now called by its original name, the Mariinsky Ballet) in Leningrad. He defected from the Soviet Union to the West in 1961, despite KGB efforts to stop him. This was the first defection of a Soviet artist during the Cold War, and it created an international sensation. He went on to dance with The Royal Ballet in London and from 1983 to 1989 served as director of the Paris Opera Ballet. In addition to his technical prowess, Nureyev was an accomplished choreographer serving as the chief choreographer of the Paris Opera Ballet. He produced his own interpretations of numerous classical works, including Swan Lake, Giselle, and La Bayadère.
– – –
A brief survey of the life and career of the great Russian dancer
This short documentary dates from 1998 and is narrated by Terence Stamp. The programme includes interviews with friends and colleagues as well as film clips of Nureyev in action. Uploaded with all due acknowledgements to the programme makers of 20 years ago. Please note that this comes from a VHS Video, so it pre-dates the introduction of DVD player/recorders, and is therefore not of modern-day quality!
– – –