Sergei Polunin & Rudolf Nureyev, A Celebration

Not comparing, but celebrating the two legends of ballet. One secure in his place in history, and the other well on his way. ***Please forgive the typo in the text at 2'32. I should know better than to work so late into the night. Sometimes the spark of inspiration refuses prudent release. Of course, it SHOULD read "Giselle" and not "Swan Lake."

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Rudolf Nureyev / Рудольф Нуреев, in full Rudolf Hametovich Nureyev, (born March 17, 1938,
Irkutsk, Russia, U.S.S.R. - died January 6, 1993, Paris, France), Soviet-born ballet dancer whose suspended leaps and fast turns were often compared to Vaslav Nijinsky’s legendary feats. He was a flamboyant performer and a charismatic celebrity who revived the prominence of male ballet roles and significantly widened the audience for ballet.

Nureyev began his ballet studies at age 11, left school at 15, and supported himself by dancing. At 17, he entered the Leningrad Ballet School, where he was taught by Aleksandr Pushkin. He was an outstanding but rebellious student, refusing to join the Komsomol (a Communist youth organization), disobeying curfew regulations, and learning English privately.

After graduating in 1958, he became soloist with the Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Kirov (now Mariinsky) Ballet and danced leading roles with its touring company. While in Paris with the Kirov Ballet in June 1961, Nureyev eluded Soviet security men at the airport and requested asylum in France. He said later that the rigidly organized Soviet ballet had limited his opportunities to dance frequently and to perform in a variety of roles.

Within a week, he was signed by the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas and performing The Sleeping Beauty with Nina Vyroubova.

Soviet authorities made Nureyev's father, mother and dance teacher Pushkin write letters to him, urging him to return, without effect. Although he petitioned the Soviet government for many years to be allowed to visit his mother, he was not allowed to do so until 1987, when his mother was dying and Mikhail Gorbachev consented to the visit. In 1989, he was invited to dance the role of James in La Sylphide with the Mariinsky Ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre in Leningrad. The visit gave him the opportunity to see many of the teachers and colleagues he had not seen since his defection.

Nureyev's partnership with Margot Fonteyn is one of the most celebrated in the history of ballet. He, at 23, gave her, at 42, a new burst of energy and understanding; she inspired him and helped him settle down.

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Born in Kherson, Ukraine in 1989, Sergei Polunin / Сергей Полунин is a Russian ballet dancer. Famous for his “once every hundred years” talent, he has incredulous elevation and impeccable technique. From an early age, he displayed glorious dramatic range. Home videos of him as a small boy improvising to Pavarotti are very foretelling. At age 19, he became the youngest ever male principal dancer with London's Royal Ballet company.

Ballet gained an unprecedented new awareness when he danced in Hozier’s viral video ”Take Me To Church.” People who would never have paid any attention to ballet began to watch the tattooed phenom. He is generally attributed with bringing ballet to the modern common man. Classical, yet cutting edge, Sergei starred in Diesel’s “Make Love Not Walls” campaign and has put his mark on many other promotions.

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Видео Sergei Polunin & Rudolf Nureyev, A Celebration канала Pam Boehme Simon