Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 7, 1993 TAG: 9301070192
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
BALLET GREAT NUREYEV DIES AT 54
Rudolf Nureyev, generally accepted as the most stunning male dancer of the 20th century and who was famous for both his extraordinary 6-foot catlike leaps and his singular political leap to freedom, died Wednesday in Paris.He was 54 and those who had seen him in the past several months said his sinewed body had been wasted by what was widely accepted as AIDS, although Nureyev denied it.
Said his doctor Michel Canisi:
"Mr. Nureyev died today [Wednesday] in Paris from cardiac complications following a devastating illness. Following Mr. Nureyev's wishes, I can't say any more."
Asked as long ago as 1987 if he had the disease, Nureyev snapped: "No, no, that's not true. . . . Obviously, it's wrong. . . . I'm alive, I'm very well, I don't have any AIDS. It doesn't bother me."
But it became obvious a year or more ago that his health was failing.
On Oct. 8, in his last appearance on stage, for the Paris premiere of "La Bayadere" which he had choreographed, he looked gaunt and had to be helped to walk. He blinked back tears as the audience gave him a 10-minute standing ovation.
Funeral services, probably in Paris, are pending.
Nureyev, who danced with more than 16 ballet companies around the world, became a world citizen and international performer after he came under the protection of the French police in 1961, seeking artistic freedom in the West.
Trained by Russia's elite Kirov Ballet, Nureyev situated himself in the West as "permanent guest artist" of England's Royal Ballet. His finest work was partnering Britain's pre-eminent ballerina, the late Dame Margot Fonteyn. His favorite role was Albrecht in "Giselle" when she danced the title role.
Like Fonteyn, Nureyev danced into his 50s, far longer than most ballet stars.
He was known for his undisciplined lifestyle and compulsion to dance and refused to stop performing when other dancers would have given up. When dancing became too difficult even for his self-determination, he found a new way to retain fame - conducting the orchestra.
Nureyev, who also choreographed and directed ballets, was known to a generation for his agility, including the panther leaps and the impression he gave of pausing suspended in mid-air; for his highly expressive acting; and for his deep musical understanding which eventually led him to conducting. He also possessed an uncanny memory which enabled him to dance a role after seeing it once.