Rudolf nureyev

Rudolf Nureyev

By r.mchugh

  • Birth

    He was born on a train near Irkutsk, Siberia, Soviet Union. His mother, Feride, was travelling to Vladivostok, where his father Hamit, was stationed as a part of The Red Army.

  • Started to take ballet classes under Anna Udeltsova.

  • Started to take ballet classes under Elena Vaitovich.

  • Starts school at The Vaganova Academy.

    He took and passed the entereance exam to get accepted into Vaganova Academy, in Leningrad where he would be taught by Alexander Pushkin.

  • Graduates and joins The Kirov Ballet

    He graduates from the Vaganova Academy, and joins the most popular dance company in the USSR, The Kirov Ballet,as soloist.

  • First performance in Kirov.

    Debut at the Kirov in the pas de trois in Swan Lake.

  • Great Success with first tour.

    Kirov Ballet toured Paris, and during the tour Rudolf Nureyev had great success starting with his his first appearance on stage at the Palais Garnier, in Act III (Kingdom of the Shades) from La Bayadère.

  • Decides not to return to Russia

    Rudolf Nureyev “chooses liberty” and demands political asylum at Le Bourget airport instead of returning to USSR.

  • Joins the Ballets du Marquis de Cuevas

    He joins the Ballets du Marquis de Cuevas, meets Erik Bruhn, principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet.

  • Sleeping Beauty

    Nureyev danced the role of the prince in Sleeping Beauty in France.

  • Begins to study Bournonville style

    Departs for Copenhagen to study the Bournonville style with Erik Bruhn.

  • First performance of Giselle

    First performance of Giselle with Margot Fonteyn and the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden. He starts to be a guest artist with this company and continues as such until 1977.

  • Becomes international known

    Rudolf Nureyev remounts a choreography by Marius Petipa for the first time, Act III (Kingdom of the Shades) from La Bayadère for the Royal Ballet. He becomes known international and starts toguest star with all the major ballet companies in Europe, the United States and Australia.

  • Romeo and Juliet

    His first performance of MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet was applauded by the audience for 40 minutes, what is even more impressive is that he did it on an injured leg.

  • The Nutcracker

    Rudolf Nureyev performed The Nutcracker for the first time for the Royal Swedish Ballet following the request of Erick Bruhn.

  • HIV Positive

    He tests posiive for HIV.

  • Returns to Russia

    He gets granted long-waited approval from the Soviet authorities to return to Russia and dances La Sylphide at the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad, where he had not returned since 1961.

  • Performs The King in U.S.

    He performs in the musical comedy The King and I in the United States and performs "Song of a wayfairer" for the last time at the Paris Opera before he devotes himself to orchestral conducting.

  • First performance conducting.

    First performance of La Bayadère, remounted by Nureyev, at the Palais Garnier.

  • Death

    Rudolf Nureyev dies at the age of 54, at the Hôpital du Perpétual Secours in Levallois-Perret, near Paris.