Rudolph Nureyev
| Rudolf Nureyev | |
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Rudolf Nureyev in 1973 by Allan Warren
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| Born |
Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev 17 March 1938 near Irkutsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 6 January 1993 (aged 54) Levallois-Perret, France |
| Cause of death | AIDS-related complications |
| Nationality | Soviet |
| Citizenship | Austria |
| Alma mater | Kirov Ballet School |
| Occupation | Dancer, choreographer |
| Years active | 1958–1992 |
| Partner(s) | Erik Bruhn (1961–1986) |
| Website | www.nureyev.org |
Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev (Bashkir: Рудольф Хәмит улы Нуриев, Tatar: Рудольф Хәмит улы Нуриев, Russian: Рудо́льф Хаме́тович Нуре́ев; 17 March 1938 – 6 January 1993) was a Soviet dancer of ballet and modern dance, one of the most celebrated of the 20th century. Nureyev's artistic skills explored expressive areas of the dance, providing a new role to the male ballet dancer who once served only as support to the women. He also worked as choreographer, actor and director.
Nureyev had his early career with the Kirov 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. Nureyev 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 born on a Trans-Siberian train near Irkutsk, Siberia, Soviet Union, while his mother, Feride, was travelling to Vladivostok, where his father Hamit, a Red Army political commissar, was stationed. He was raised as the only son in a Tatar family in a village near Ufa in Bashkir ASSR, Soviet Union. When his mother took him and his sisters into a performance of the ballet "Song of the Cranes", he fell in love with dance. As a child he was encouraged to dance in Bashkir folk performances and his precocity was soon noticed by teachers who encouraged him to train in Leningrad. On a tour stop in Moscow with a local ballet company, Nureyev auditioned for the Bolshoi ballet company and was accepted. However, he felt that the Kirov Ballet school was the best, so he left the local touring company and bought a ticket to Leningrad.
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