March 17
Born Today:
Rudolf Nureyev
The incomparable Rudolf Nureyev (1938-1993) defected from Russia in 1961 and reinvigorated the career of ballerina Margot Fonteyn (1919-1991) - she was 42 and he was 24 when they were first paired - in a partnership that would last until she retired in 1979. He said that they danced with "one body, one soul". In 1977 he starred in the movie Valentino, about the silent film star and dancer Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926). Nureyev performed internationally and choreographed for ABT before accepting the directorship of the Paris Opera Ballet in 1983-1989, where he mentored dancers including Sylvie Guillem (1965-) and Manuel Legris (1964-).
Also Born Today: The name Thoinot Arbeau is the anagrammatic pen name of French cleric Jehan Tabourot (1520-1595), who is best known for his book Orchésographie (1588), detailing social dances of the late French Renaissance. Ballerina Ruthanna Boris (1918-2007) is best known for being the first American to join the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo and dancing in the original production of Serenade (1934) one of the first pieces George Balanchine (1904-1983) created after relocating to the US. She also created the dance program at the University of Washington in 1965.