From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
[1]
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".
[2]
After his period with Fonteyn, Nureyev worked in several countries.
Nureyev was director, principal dancer and
choreographer
of
Nureyev and Friends
on
Broadway
(1974?75) 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
.
[2]
Nureyev was
gay
. He and his partner, Erik Bruhn, died of
AIDS
.
[3]