Rudolf Nureyev and Eva Evdokimova in Sleeping Beauty. Image courtesy of Francette Levieux
On 5th-12th September, the celebration of the life and work of Legendary dancer, Rudolph Nureyev will be presented in London at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. This event, supported by the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation, fuses 22 international dancers, alongside live music from the Royal Ballet Sinfonia conducted by David Briskin from the National Ballet of Canada. LUX speaks to some of the renowned ballet dancers performing in the show, Yasmine Nagdhi, Oleg Ivenko and William Bracewell, as well as the artistic director of the gala, former Royal Ballet Principal, Nehemiah Kish about the importance of this gala and the legacy of Rudolph Nureyev
Emma Hawes, Francesco Gabriele Frola, Nehemiah kish and Elena Glurjidze preparing for the Flower Festival in Genzano. Image courtesy of Andre Uspenski LUX: How much does it add to the celebration, that the performance is taking place where Nureyev made his London debut"

Nehemiah Kish: I love that everything in the production has a wonderful story attached and a purpose in being as it is. Rudolf Nureyev?s first performance in London was at Theatre Royal Drury Lane by invitation of Dame Margot Fonteyn to perform in her Gala Matinee of Ballet for the Royal Academy of Dance in 1961. Nureyev had defected from the Soviet Union a few months prior and was in Copenhagen training with Vera Volkova and another leading male dancer of his time, Eric Bruhn. As the ...