Nureyev at the Paris Opera
In 1983 Nureyev was offered and accepted the position of ballet director at the Paris Opéra. He held it for six years until ejected by a new administration. There he was able to continue dancing, provided that the company's permanent members had the first nights; his contract allowed him also to dance elsewhere, stipulating that he spend six months a year in Paris.
With good ballet staff he found he could deal by telephone with any problems in his absence, and of course the policies were his. Chief among them was widening the repertoire, both through his own productions and by bringing in an immense variety of ballets by leading choreographers and aspirants too in whom he saw talent. He wanted the dancers, like himself, to experience many styles: from the great classics (not previously well represented in Paris) and revivals or reconstructions of historic French works, to the best ballets of our time and many creations. Besides enlivening the company in this way, he stimulated the dancers by giving early opportunities to newcomers from the excellent attached school (which also benefited under him from new premises, while the company similarly gained new rehearsal studios).
More performances and increased touring were other benefits. The reactions expressed by French dancers to working with him are much like those recorded by the Royal Ballet's David Wall to his experience when Nureyev arrived: "A tremendous inspiration …. he made the work so exciting and fulfilling …. He will always help any dancer who asks him, and I have a feeling that any problem I had, professionally, I could always go to him and get an honest answer."
Rudolf Nureyev choreographies listed at the Paris Opera repertoire
| LA BAYADERE ACT III 3 october 1974 After Petipa |
MANFRED 20 november 1979 Original choreography |
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| DON QUIXOTE 6 march 1981 After Petipa |
RAYMONDA 5 november 1983 After Petipa |
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| THE SWAN LAKE 20 december 1984 After Sergueev and Bourmeister |
ROMEO AND JULIET 19 october 1984 Original choreography |
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| THE TEMPEST 9 march 1984 Original choreography |
BACH SUITE 16 april 1984 Avec Francine Lancelot |
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| THE NUTCRACKER 20 december 1985 After Petipa |
WASHINGTON SQUARE 25 june 1985 Original choreography |
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| CINDERELLA 24 october 1986 Original choreography |
SLEEPING BEAUTY 18 march 1989 After Petipa |
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| LA BAYADERE 8 october 1992 After Petipa |
LA BAYADÈRE RAYMONDA SWAN LAKE THE SLEEPING BEAUTY DON QUIXOTE TANCREDI THE NUTCRACKER ROMEO AND JULIET MANFRED LA TEMPETE BACH SUITE WASHINGTON SQUARE CINDERELLA LA BAYADÈRE 1992
DON QUIXOTE GISELLE LA BAYADÈRE THE SLEEPING BEAUTY RAYMONDA THE SWAN LAKE NUTCRACKER LA SYLPHIDE ROMEO AND JULIET APOLLON MANFRED SONG OF A WAYFARER MARGUERITE AND ARMAND THE YOUNG MAN AND DEATH LE SPECTRE DE LA ROSE LES SYLPHIDES PETRUSCHKA LE CORSAIRE PIERROT LUNAIRE
TIMELINE INTRODUCTION CHILDHOOD IN RUSSIA KIROV PERIOD 1961 ESCAPE TO THE WEST MARGOT FONTEYN CAREER IN THE WEST NUREYEV CHOREOGRAPHER PARIS OPERA LAST YEARS DANCE PARTNERS ARTISTIC INFLUENCE DANCE DIRECTOR PARIS OPERA ACTOR AND ARTIST RUDOLF NUREYEV'S GRAVE CNCS - STAGE COSTUMES
