Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev:
The Unlikely Pair Who Created a Legendary Partnership
"…There has probably never been a conjunction
of two dancers which has proved so harmonious, so satisfying,
so fruitful and hence so famous as that between Margot
Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev."
–Alexander Bland
1
The partnership was between two dancers who had little
in common outside their devotion to ballet. When they
began partnering in 1962, their careers where at radically
different stages and their performance styles were in
sharp contrast. Surprisingly, this unlikely pair created
extraordinary magic on stage.
"Combine the smolder, the mystery, the dynamic
presence, the great streaks of vivid movement which
Nureyev gives us with the beauty, the radiance, the
womanliness, the queenliness and the shining movements
of
Dame Margot…" 2
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Photograph
by Roy Round, London,
Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn in Swan Lake, Act
III, with the Royal Ballet,
provided to Hurok Attractions and Royal Ballet, nd.
*MGZEA Nureyev #528, JRDD
NYPL-26
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| click on image to enlarge |
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On one side of the partnership was Rudolf Nureyev, a
23-year-old Russian dancer, who had recently defected
to the West. Although Nureyev had won international acclaim
for his passionate dancing in Paris with the Kirov Ballet,
he was relatively unknown outside the Soviet Union. Nureyev
was a rising star at the beginning of his ballet career.
On the other side of the partnership was Margot Fonteyn
(pronounced mar-GO fon-TAYN), the prima ballerina with
England's Royal
Ballet. She was idolized throughout the world for
her exquisite, refined dancing. Fonteyn, at age 40, had
firmly established her place in the ballet world and was
nearing the time in life when most ballerinas retire.
Nureyev's and Fonteyn's childhoods were in sharp contrast.
Nureyev grew up in extreme poverty in Russia, with a father
who actively discouraged Nureyev's passion for dance.
Facing many obstacles, Nureyev succeeded in ballet by
virtue of his single-minded determination, talent, and
hard work. Margot Fonteyn grew up in a middle-class English
family that supported her interest in dance. Given opportunities
to study ballet, Fonteyn worked hard to excel and her
talents blossomed.
The Fonteyn-Nureyev partnership began when the Royal
Ballet's director saw Nureyev perform. She was so impressed
with his powerful, charismatic style that she invited
Nureyev to join the Royal Ballet. When the director suggested
that Fonteyn dance with Nureyev, the Royal Ballet's prima
ballerina hesitated. The differences in their ages concerned
Fonteyn. But, realizing that she could either take the
chance and partner the young Nureyev or watch another
ballerina do so, Fonteyn agreed to the partnership. For
Nureyev, dancing with Fonteyn was a great opportunity.
She had already attained the status and recognition he
hoped to achieve.
Fonteyn's adoring public excitedly anticipated her first
performances with Nureyev. All three performances of Giselle
sold out instantly. More than 70,000 requests for tickets
remained unfilled. At the performance, the stage presence
of Fonteyn and Nureyev was mesmerizing. "When the
curtain fell, pandemonium broke out." 3
"To see Fonteyn was one thing. To see Nureyev
was another thing. But to see Fonteyn and Nureyev together,
on the same stage, with their particular love and assurance,
was almost indescribably special." 4
In 1963, Fonteyn and Nureyev performed in the first ballet
created especially for them. The Royal Ballet's choreographer,
Frederick Ashton, created the passionate love story, Marguerite
and Armand, as a tribute to Fonteyn and Nureyev's
extraordinary partnership. The ballet became their signature
piece. Ashton insisted that the ballet should never be
performed by any other dancers. In anticipation of the
ballet's success, 50 photographers attended the dress
rehearsal. The first performance so thrilled the audience
that there were 21 curtain calls.
For over 12 years, Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev
reigned as ballet superstars, performing more
than 20 roles together. They were invited to dance
for royalty and leaders throughout the world. Their performances
as well as their appearances off stage caused a sensation;
they made headlines wherever they went. Their fans adoringly
called them "Rudi and Margot."
Their partnership had enduring effects on how ballet
is performed. Fonteyn and Nureyev transformed the pas
de deux (dance for two), which is the centerpiece
of traditional 19th century ballets. Instead of dancing
the pas de deux as a cool, technical display in
which the ballerina was the focal point, they created
an intimate and intense drama in which the danseur
(the principal male dancer) and the ballerina contributed
equally.
When Fonteyn and Nureyev performed, there was electricity
between them.
"They seemed aware of each other even when their
backs were turned. When their eye met, a message was
passed."
"…both had the gift of translating emotion
into movement—the very basis of their art."
5
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Uncredited
Photograph
Rudolf Nureyev and Martha Graham
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Later in their careers, Fonteyn and Nureyev became interested
in experimental (modern) dance. They broke tradition and
performed in a modern dance created for them by Martha
Graham, whose highly theatrical style was striking
for its starkness, angularity, and expression. Their last
appearances together at the Royal Ballet were in 1976.
Fonteyn and Nureyev performed together in 1977 and 1979
at the Nureyev Festival, and few weeks after her 60th
birthday, Fonteyn danced her last performances with Rudolf
Nureyev.
The Fonteyn-Nureyev partnership set a standard for ballet
that is still alive today.
1 Bland, Alexander. Fonteyn and Nureyev:
The story of a Partnership. New York: Times Books, 1979.
2 Walter Terry's article from the Herald Tribune,
May 5, 1963, quoted in Alexander Bland's book, Fonteyn
and Nureyev: The story of a partnership. New York: Times
Books, 1979.
3 Bland, Alexander. Fonteyn and Nureyev: The story of
a partnership. New York: Times Books, 1979.
4 The New York Times quoted in Alexander Bland's
book, Fonteyn and Nureyev: The story of a partnership.
New York: Times Books, 1979.
5 Bland, Alexander. Fonteyn and Nureyev: The story of
a partnership. New York: Times Books, 1979.
