Rudolf Nureyev

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Khametovich and the family name is Nureyev.

Rudolf Nureyev
Nureyev in 1973
Born
Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev

(1938-03-17)17 March 1938
Near Irkutsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died6 January 1993(1993-01-06) (aged 54)
Levallois-Perret, France
Cause of deathAIDS-related complications
Resting placeSainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Cemetery, Paris, France
Citizenship
  • Soviet Union (until 1961)
  • Stateless (1961–1982)
  • Austria (from 1982)
Alma materKirov Ballet School
Occupations
  • Dancer
  • choreographer
  • ballet director
Years active1958–1992
Height173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Partners
Websitenureyev.org

Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev[a] (17 March 1938 – 6 January 1993) was a Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer. Nureyev is widely regarded as the most preeminent male ballet dancer of his generation as well as one of the greatest ballet dancers of all time.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

Nureyev was born on a Trans-Siberian train near Irkutsk, Siberia, Soviet Union, to a 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.[8] 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. Nureyev was also a choreographer serving as the chief choreographer of the Paris Opera Ballet. He produced his own interpretations of numerous classical works,[9] including Swan Lake, Giselle and La Bayadère.[10]


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  1. ^ Lord of the dance – Rudolf Nureyev at the National Film Theatre, London, 1–31 January 2003 Archived 1 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine, by John Percival, The Independent, 26 December 2002.
  2. ^ Rudolf Nureyev, Charismatic Dancer Who Gave Fire to Ballet's Image, Dies at 54 Archived 10 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine, by Jack Anderson, The Independent, 7 January 1993.
  3. ^ (in French) Rudolf Noureev exercising at the barre Archived 7 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine, 21 December 1970, site INA (4 min 13).
  4. ^ Philippe Noisette, (in French) « Que reste-t-il de Noureev ? » Archived 17 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Les Échos, 1 March 2013.
  5. ^ "Rudolf Nureyev: How the dance legend continues to inspire". 29 September 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  6. ^ Crompton, Sarah (25 September 2018). "'You couldn't take your eyes off him': the triumph and tragedy of Rudolf Nureyev". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  7. ^ Duffy, Martha (18 January 1993). "Two Who Transformed Their Worlds: Rudolf Nureyev (1938-1993)". TIME. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  8. ^ Bridcut, John (17 September 2007). "The KGB's long war against Rudolf Nureyev". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  9. ^ "Rudolf Nureyev's Choreographies – The Rudolf Nureyev Foundation". Nureyev.org. 10 December 2018. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  10. ^ Noisette, Philippe (26 January 2013). "Benjamin Millepied, le pari de Stéphane Lissner". Paris Match (in French). Archived from the original on 18 February 2017.