Rudolph Nureyev

Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev (17 March 1938 – 6 January 1993) was a Russian ballet dancer. He was one of the most celebrated dancers of the 20th century. In 1961 he defected to the West, despite KGB efforts to prevent him. For some years he partnered Dame Margot Fonteyn.

The Dictionary of Dance says "His repertoire was enormous, including all the classics and the modern standards".Craine, Debra & Mackrell, Judith 2000. The Oxford dictionary of dance. Oxford University Press, p350.  After his period with Fonteyn, Nureyev worked in several countries.

His teacher was Aleksander Pushkin, like the famous Russian poet

Nureyev was director, principal dancer and choreographer of Nureyev and Friends on Broadway (197475) and was artistic director of the Paris Opera House from 1983 to 1989. He promoted junior dancers, such as Sylvie Guillem, and commissioned new works. In the last years of his life he took up conducting.

Nureyev was gay. He and his partner, Erik Bruhn, died of AIDS.Gay Nureyev

 Notes 

Category:1938 births
Category:1993 deaths
Category:Ballet dancers
Category:Deaths from AIDS
Category:Gay men
Category:Infectious disease deaths in France
Category:LGBT choreographers
Category:LGBT dancers
Category:Russian LGBT people
Category:Soviet entertainers