Scenes from Sleeping Beauty - Nureyev: Legend and Legacy

Watch excerpts from The Nureyev Legend and Legacy Gala featuring scenes from The Sleeping Beauty.

The Sleeping Beauty, Act II, Entr’acte solo
Dancer: Guillaume Côté

Rudolf Nureyev was critical of the limited role choreographer Marius Petipa had created for The Prince. When given the opportunity to choreograph his own productions Nureyev took the chance to add several solos for the Prince. He used the entr’acte music, which typically doesn’t feature dancing, to create a pensive solo showcasing the Prince’s personal journey. The new solo quickly became known as a ‘’masterclass in technique’’ for male dancers. Here, Guillaume Côté takes on Nuryev’s ‘’master class’’ in brilliant form.

The Sleeping Beauty, Act 3 Grand Pas de deux
Dancers: Natascha Mair and Vadim Muntagirov

This Act II grad pas de deux is one of the jewels of classical ballet. It demands that the dancers demonstrate technique, restrained elegance, and purity of line. Nureyev added an additional layer. Traditionally in a pas de deux the male dancer’s role is to show off the ballerina, but Nureyev insisted that both principal dancers should be equal, each pushing each other to their limits. In this excerpt, Vadim Muntagirov and Natascha Mair are elegant and totally at ease.

The Nureyev Legend and Legacy Gala took place at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London in September 2022 and was produced in association with the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation.