Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev, born in Russia, is considered one of the greatest male dancers of the 20th century, along with Vaslav Nijinsky and Mikhail Baryshnikov.
The famous Rudolf Nureyev was born on March 17, 1938 on a train near Irkutsk, while his mother was traveling across Siberia to Vladivostok, where his father, a Red Army soldier, political worker of Tatar origin, was billeted. He spent his childhood in a village near Ufa. As a child, his parents in every possible way encouraged his passion for dancing in Bashkir folk performances.
Career
In 1955, Nuriev to get an education and entered the choreographic institute. A. Ya. Vaganova at the Leningrad Ballet named after Kirov.. Despite the late start of his career, he was soon recognized as the most gifted dancer of this educational institution.
For two years Nureyev was one of the most famous Russian dancers in the country, which revered ballet and made its dancers national heroes. Soon he had the rare privilege of traveling outside the Soviet Union, but after performing in Vienna at an international youth festival, he was banned from leaving the cordon.
In 1961, luck again turned to face Nuriev. The main dancer of Kirov, Konstantin Sergeev, was injured, and at the last moment Nureyev was substituted in the Parisian play. In Paris, his performances drew a storm of applause from the public and rave reviews from critics. But Nureyev violated the rules prohibiting communication with foreigners, and it was announced to him that he would be sent home. Realizing that he would probably no longer be allowed abroad, on June 17, at Charles de Gaulle International Airport, he decided to stay in the West. He did not see Russia again until 1989, when he came to the USSR at the special invitation of Mikhail Gorbachev.
A few days after his escape, Nuriev signed a contract with the world famous ballet troupe of the Marquis de Cuevas and began to perform the part in The Sleeping Beauty with Nina Vyrubova. Nureyev very quickly became a celebrity in the West. His dramatic escape, his outstanding skills and, it must be said, his amazing looks made him an international star. This gave him the opportunity to decide where and with whom he would dance.
On a tour of Denmark, he met his love Eric Brune, who became his lover and his closest friend over the years. Brune was director of the Royal Swedish Ballet from 1967 to 1972 and Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Canada from 1983 until his death in 1986.
At the same time, Nureyev met Margot Fontaine, a British prima ballerina, with whom he very quickly became friends. She brought him to the Royal Ballet in London, which became his home for the rest of his dance career. Together, Nuriev and Fontaine have forever transformed classical ballets such as Swan Lake and Giselle.
Nureyev was immediately in demand by filmmakers, and in 1962 he made his debut in the film "Sylphides". In 1976 he played Rudolph Valentino in a Ken Russell film, but he had neither the talent nor the temperament to pursue a serious acting career. In 1968 he became interested in contemporary dance with the Dutch National Ballet. In 1972, Robert Helpmann invited him to tour Australia with his own production of Don Quixote for his directorial debut.
During the 1970s, Nuriev starred in several films and toured the United States. In 1982 he received Austrian citizenship. In 1983 he was appointed director and artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet, where he continued to dance and promote young dancers. Despite progressive illness towards the end of his tenure, he worked tirelessly.
Nureyev's influence on the world of ballet is enormous, especially it changed the perception of male dancers; in his own productions, classic male roles have received much more choreography than in previous productions. The second very important influence was his blurring of the lines between classical ballet and modern dance. Today it is absolutely normal for dancers to get trained in both styles, but Nureyev was the one who started it and at that time it was a sensation and drew criticism.
Death
When AIDS appeared in France around 1982, Nuriev, like many French homosexuals, did not pay attention to it. He presumably contracted HIV in the early 1980s. For several years, he simply denied that there was anything wrong with his health. But in 1990, when it became clear that he was seriously ill, he pretended that he had several minor ailments. At the same time, he refuses any treatment.
In the end, however, he had to face the fact that he was dying. He won the admiration of many of his fans and even detractors for his dedication and courage during this period. In his last appearance on stage, in the ballet La Bayadère at the Palais Garnier in 1992, Nureyev received a standing ovation from the audience. The Minister of Culture of France Jack Lang presented him with the highest cultural award of France - "Chevalier de L'Ordre de Artes and Lettre". He died on January 6, 1993 in Paris, at the age of 54.
