Support The Moscow Times!

Contribute today

Russia's Forbidden Dancer Rudolf Nureyev

Jul 12, 2017 - 11:38 am

Rudolf Nureyev at the time of his defection from the Soviet Union in 1961. Pressens Bild / Scanpix

Rudolf Nureyev at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, July 1968. Eric Koch / Anefo

Dancers Liliana Cosi and Rudolf Nureyev perform at Teatro 10, Rome, Italy, in 1972. Radiocorriere Magazine

Rudolf Nureyev in his dressing room at the Royal Ballet School in London, 1974. Allan Warren

Rudolf Nureyev in front of the Bashkir State Opera and Ballet Theatrer in Ufa, Soviet Union, 1987. Viktor Vonog / TASS

Twenty-eight years after he left the Soviet Union, Rudolf Nureyev visits Leningrad to dance at the Kirov opera and ballet theater on Nov. 17, 1989. Yury Belinsky / TASS

Rudolf Nureyev's last visit to Leningrad in November 1989. TASS / Interpress

Rudolf Nureyev during his last visit to Leningrad in November 1989. TASS / Interpress

Rudolf Nureyev during his last visit to Leningrad in November 1989. TASS / Interpress

Rudolf Nureyev during his last visit to Leningrad in November 1989. TASS / Interpress

Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater unexpectedly postponed the premiere of a highly anticipated, but potentially controversial ballet, just days before it was scheduled to open on July 11.

The “Nureyev” ballet, based on the life of gay Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev, has now been rescheduled for May 2018.

Fresh Offensive

In Photos: Ukrainian Residents Shelter as Russia Bombards Toretsk

Russia has escalated its assault on the town of Toretsk in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, forcing residents to take shelter and flee their homes....

summer festival

Kazan Says Goodbye to BRICS Games With Ancient Tatar Festival of Sabantuy

Athletes bid farewell to Tatarstan at the closing ceremony on Sunday as the region's Tatar and Bashkir communities marked the Sabantuy summer festival...

In Photos: Wagner Memorials Appear on Mutiny's First Anniversary

Yevgeny Prigozhin’s supporters laid flowers at memorials in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

'New Era' in relations

In Photos: North Korea Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin was greeted by cheering crowds during a state visit to Pyongyang on Wednesday, marking what North Korea’s Kim Jong Un...