Marquee TV celebrates ballet’s greatest ever dancer at a star-studded gala. Pay tribute to Nureyev: Legend And Legacy.
Ask anyone in ballet who the greatest ever dancer is and one name will always be mentioned: Rudolph Nureyev. The legendary dancer is world renowned as being the greatest of all time. The Russian-born dancer sadly passed away from AIDS complications on January 6th, 1993 at the age of 54. But that hasn’t stopped the world from marveling at his accomplishments and his contributions to the world of ballet and dance. His life is being celebrated over five performances at London’s Theatre Royal, Drury Lane from the 5th of September to the 12th of September.
The limited season opened on Monday to an ecstatic reaction from the audience. The evening was opened by Ralph Fiennes and both he and the former head of The Royal Ballet, Dame Monica Mason, spoke of his lasting artistry and legacy. Marquee TV, the major streaming service for arts and culture will be making the event available on a pay-per-view basis for ten days from September 16th before releasing it to all subscribers to their service sometime in October.
THE FULL DETAILS
MARQUEE TV, the major streaming service for arts and culture, has partnered with Legends and Legacy Ventures in an innovative deal to bring Nureyev: Legend and Legacy exclusively to its subscribers. The one off-event will initially be made available on a pay-per-view basis from September 16th for ten days before becoming available in October to Marquee TV subscribers as part of their subscription.
The legendary dancer and global icon Rudolph Nureyev is being celebrated over five performances from 5-12 September at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the site of his London debut. With 22 great ballet dancers performing nine classical ballet excerpts, Nureyev Legend and Legacy thrillingly presents highlights in Nureyev’s career, curated by ex-Royal Ballet Principal Nehemiah Kish.
THE OPENING
Opening on Monday evening to an ecstatic reaction from the audience, which has been matched by the critics which has been unanimous: “Firecracker spins and star turns”, Guardian; “Pure quality…a fascinating programme of classical excerpts danced by an outstanding line-up of international artists”, The Times and “Outstanding performances…Muntagirov, like Nureyev, has only to take up a position to make you catch your breath”, Financial Times. The evening was opened by Ralph Fiennes and ex-head of the Royal Ballet, Dame Monica Mason, who both spoke of his lasting artistry and legacy.
NINA LARICHEVA AND NEHEMIAH KISH
Nina Laricheva, CEO of Marquee, TV commented:
“Marquee TV is delighted to be Nureyev Legend and Legacy’s broadcast partner and to be able to bring this great evening to audiences around the world. The gala was a powerful reminder of Nureyev, the great dancer, and choreographer. We look forward to welcoming new subscribers to Marquee TV’s unrivaled selection of dance performances – from classical ballet to contemporary including The Royal Ballet, BalletBoyz, New York City Ballet, Washington Ballet, and English National Ballet.”
Nehemiah Kish commented:
“It’s exciting to share our performance widely outside of London. Having come from a rural part of North America with limited access to the arts, I know how inspiring it can be to watch ballet from the comfort of your home. Nureyev did so much to popularise ballet with his early televised appearances. I think it’s fitting that we can share Nureyev Legend and Legacy with audiences around the world.”
THE PIECES
Each piece from the gala was chosen to represent a different aspect of Nureyev’s life and work, opening with a solo he choreographed for The Sleeping Beauty which showcases his talent as a choreographer and his impact on elevating the role of the male dancer by adding solos to the classical repertoire. It was danced by Guillaume Côté of the National Ballet of Canada.
Other extracts in the programme include a Pas de Deux from Gayane, which reflects Nureyev’s folk dance roots, danced by Oleg Ivenko (who played Nureyev in Ralph Fiennes’s film The White Crow) partnered by Maia Mahkateli; and the Pas de Six from Laurencia, which Nureyev staged with the Royal Ballet for a TV special in 1964, staged exclusively for this production by Natalia Osipova, who will be accompanied by Marcelino Sambé and four dancers from The Royal Ballet.
MARQUEE TV
Marquee TV partners with the world’s leading dance, opera, theatre, and music companies to offer on-demand performances for its global audience. The streaming service currently has over 450 titles including performances by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Opera House, London Philharmonic Orchestra, English National Ballet, Teatro Alla Scala, and Deutsche Oper Berlin.
THE PROGRAMME
Music Director: David Briskin
Orchestra: Royal Ballet Sinfonia
Orchestra Director: John Beadle
Act 1
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY, Act 2 Entr’acte Solo
Choreography: Rudolf Nureyev
Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Dancer: Guillaume Côté, National Ballet of CanadaGAYANE, Pas de Deux
Choreography: Rudolf Nureyev after Nina Anisimova
Music: Aram Khachaturian
Staging: Nehemiah Kish, Elena Glurjidze
Dancers: Maia Makhateli, Dutch National Ballet; Oleg Ivenko, Star of The White Crow
LA BAYADERE, Act 3 Pas de Deux
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Music: Ludwig Minkus
Dancers: Iana Salenko, Berlin State Ballet; Xander Parish, formerly The Royal BalletTHE FLOWER FESTIVAL IN GENZANO, Pas de Deux
Choreography: August Bournonville
Music: Edvard Helsted
Staging: Nehemiah Kish, Elena Glurjidze
Dancers: Francesco Gabriele Frola, Ida Praetorius, Hamburg BalletLAURENCIA, Pas De Six
Choreography: Rudolf Nureyev after Vakhtang Chabukiani
Music: Alexander Krein
Staging: Natalia Osipova
Dancers: Natalia Osipova, Cesar Corrales, Yuhui choe, Marianna Tsembenhoi, Benjamin Ella, Daichi Ikarashi, The Royal Ballet
Act 2
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY, Act 3 Grand Pas de Deux
Choreography: Rudolf Nureyev after Marius Petipa
Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Dancers: Natascha Mair, English National Ballet; Vadim Muntagirov, The Royal BalletGISELLE, Act 2 Pas de Deux
Choreography: Marius Petipa after Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot
Music: Adolphe Adam
Dancers: Francesca Hayward, William Bracewell, The Royal Ballet
DON JUAN, Pas de Deux
Choreography: John Neumeier
Music: Christoph Wilibald Gluck, Tomás de Victoria
Dancers: Alina Cojocaru, Alexandr Trusch, Hamburg BalletLE CORSAIRE, Pas de Deux
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Music: Adolphe Adam
Dancers: Yasmine Naghdi, Cesar Corrales, The Royal Ballet
THE IMAGE GALLERY
Marquee TV costs £8.99 a month or £62.99 annually. You can sign up and start your free 7-day trial here.
Tickets for the remaining performances can be purchased here.
Source: Marquee TV
Author
Carl Roberts is the News Editor of The Future of the Force. Aside from being our horror genre aficionado, he is also passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and the Indiana Jones movies. Follow him on Twitter where he uses the force frequently!
