Rudolph Nureyev - Bluebird Solo and PDD + Prince's Variation ['Sleeping Beauty' 1961]

Rudolph Nureyev loved to dance both the Prince's variation and the Bluebird solo and pas de duex in 'The Sleeping Beauty' and continued to do keep both roles in his repertoire even for a time after he defected to the West in 1961.

This is (poor quality amateur) film of the great Russian star performing both these roles with the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas in 1961 just after his arrival - first, the Prince's Variation on 23 June and then, the Bluebird Solo and pas de duex on 30 June.

His partner is Nina Vyroubova.

The voices overs are a bit fragmented by my cuts of the original footage and so at times their meaning is somewhat incomprehensible.

For example, when Pierre Lacotte says Nureyev had no shoes or tights for the first Paris performance, we immediately think of those dreams where we go to work and realise we've forgotten to don trousers or a skirt. Of course what was said next, and cut out, is that the French dancer informs us lent Nureyev some gear of his own.

And when Lacotte says Nureyev couldn't hear the music what is missing is that KGB agents in the audience were making a great deal of noise and supporters noisily opposing them.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Rudolph Nureyev
• ballet
• The Sleeping Beauty
• 1961
• Prince
• Bluebird
• Nina Vyroubova

[TheSandsie13]

i remember seeing nureyev do this on tv when i was a kid and being blown away.

[nickwallacesmith]

hi TheSandsie13 - yes, often the first impact of nureyev is very strong - mine was seeing him at covent garden in 'the sleeping beauty' with margot fonteyn - we went to the stage door after and they signed our program - and were very nice about it. cheers

[PureSoapCleans]

I must also add that your videos are fantastic and I do appreciate your love for dance and sharing those clips with us. Thank you so very much!!!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi PureSoapCleans - great you like the videos - often i wonder if they are only going to be interesting for me - your appreciation makes me want to find more things to upload - so thanks again!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi PureSoapCleans - sad but i understand what you are saying - and it's sad to see racism anywhere - it's a world wide scourge - here in australia too where the original aboriginal inhabitants do not get the opportunities they should.

[PureSoapCleans]

@nickwallacesmith , yes indeed. I read a very interesting interview in Spanish that he had in Cuba and he was asked about the racism in USA and UK, and he said that he was hired as a Principal Dancer outside Cuba and it is precisely in Cuba with a majority black population you do not see blacks in top positions in the Cuban National Ballet, and that his teacher Ramona de Sáa was the one who told him that in Cuba because he was black there was not a big future for him. And it is quite true.

[nickwallacesmith]

hi morinoroba - yeah, great someone had the foresight to capture these first performances in the West. and yes nureyev's never blank on stage - sometimes his own powerful personality can somewhat intrude on the character but in general the characters are differentiated and different. cheers, nick

[morinoroba]

Wow, very rare footages, thank you! Great dance of Nureyev as always, I think his greatness is that despite he had such unbelievable technique(speed, height of jump etc), it is always "organic" but never gets coldness! His great dancing technique was always together with his emotional expression!

[nickwallacesmith]

hi PureSoapCleans - good to hear from you again. i didn't realise that carlos left cuba because he didn't get the prince principal roles - i'm surprised at the racism - a real scourge any where it appears. cheers

[PureSoapCleans]

Fantastic clips! Quite fantastic, of a fantastic dancer. Communism is the most oppressive of all regimes ever created by any mind. Nureyev was a genius and he needed to be free to express his art. The same thing happened to Carlos Acosta, he had to leave Cuba to become a Principal dancer, because his country didn't allow him to be a prince, in Cuba there are not black dancers in top positions, amazing! This clips are true treasures. Thank you so much for sharing.