Masculine elegance and sensuality, high technique and skillful reincarnation - such was the world famous ballet dancer Eric Brun. He was called a model of perfection due to the precision of every movement and the nobility of the gesture. And the moral authority of the artist was indisputable for everyone who knew him.
Biography
Eric Brun was born in Copenhagen in 1928. His parents were ordinary people, the family had four children, so Eric's childhood was fun. Parents noticed their son's talent for dancing early, and enrolled him in the Royal Danish Ballet when he was nine years old.
Years of hard and joyful work began - Eric really liked to dance, and he put all his talent into each lesson. When he was eighteen years old, he made his debut as Adonis in the production of Thorvaldsen. Eric danced on stage at the Royal Opera House and did not believe in his happiness. Soon he was accepted into the theater ballet troupe.
A year later, Brun realized that he was cramped in Denmark, and he went on tour to England, where his partner was the Bulgarian Sonia Arova. Upon his return to Denmark in 1949, Eric became a soloist, which is considered the greatest recognition of merit in ballet. He took a certain position in the theater, but the desire to see the world won out, and soon the young dancer was already performing at the American Ballet Theater in New York.
Officially, Eric Brun was listed in the Danish theater, but in fact he has already become a "man of the world", because he toured different countries. His official departure from his native theater dates back to 1961.
The path to glory
In the life of every artist there comes a moment when he reaches the peak of fame. For Brun it was the play "Giselle", in which his partner was Alicia Markova. The image of Albrecht, which he created in this ballet, was called inimitable. And the day of the premiere of the performance is historic.
Critics noted that Brun is technically similar to many professional artists, but there is something different here, some kind of dance and soul magic.
The next decade was a real triumph for the artist's creativity. He was recognized by theaters in America, Canada, Paris, London, Germany. The most famous roles he danced in the performances "La Sylphide", "Giselle", "Swan Lake", "Romeo and Juliet". And his favorite ballet is Daphnis and Chloe, because the ballet master John Cranco staged this performance especially for Eric in 1962.
It is difficult to list all the roles of a famous artist - it’s probably easier to list what he didn’t dance. He had many partners from different countries, and with each he found a common language, to each he found an approach. In 1968, Brun wrote the book Beyond Technique, where he described his relationship with his stage partners and spoke of his gratitude to them.
In 1972, Eric Brun retired and began performing as an honorary dancer. He also worked as a director, albeit for a short time, at the Swedish Opera and Ballet Theater, and from 1983 to 1986 he was the director of the National Ballet of Canada.
Erik Brun died in 1986 and is buried in a cemetery in Copenhagen, not far from the house where he spent his childhood.
Personal life
Eric Brun was openly gay and never had relationships with women. He had many sexual partners, but Eric had the greatest affection for the Russian dancer Rudolf Nuriev. Their sympathy was mutual, and the relationship continued for a long time after Nuriev emigrated from Russia.
Eric and Rudolph tried to be together all the time, despite rare disagreements. In those years, it was not so easy to recognize oneself as a homosexual, but the dancers went through it and never regretted that they met.
