Nureyev

Starred review from August 13, 2007
The first international ballet superstar, Rudolf Nureyev (1938–1993) made headlines when he defected from Russia in 1961. His onstage partnership with the Royal Ballet's ballerina assoluta
Margot Fonteyn received legendary acclaim. Formerly a Kirov star, trained by the famed ballet teacher Alexander Pushkin and inspired by Nijinsky and Stanislavsky, he shocked and seduced the West with his charismatic stage presence and his passionate, sometimes rough-edged dancing. British ballet critic Kavanagh (Secret Muses: The Life of Frederick Ashton
) captures his phenomenal work ethic, his hunger for new dance experiences (with Jerome Robbins, Martha Graham and Paul Taylor) and his flamboyant life. Her writing style is both readable and sophisticated, showing Nureyev's wit and generosity alongside his carelessness and cruelty. She dissects ballet arcana like the Bournonville and Vaganova techniques—but doesn't stint on celebrity dish. Nureyev's affair with the celebrated Danish dancer Erik Bruhn, his desperate need to dance for George Balanchine and his competition with the younger ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov are detailed, alongside his relationships with Jackie Kennedy, Andy Warhol and Mick Jagger. Kavanagh presents a definitive and moving portrait of one of the 20th century's most hypnotic, ruthless and hedonistic artists. Photos.

Starred review from October 1, 2007
Nureyevsmolderingly sensual, tauntingly androgynousspontaneously defected from the USSR in 1961 in Paris. By the end of the decade, he had redefined the persona of male dancers, brought down the wall between ballet and modern dance, and catapulted ballet into the age of rock and roll. The basic tale of Nureyevs rise from Tartar peasant boy to jet-setting superstar is common currency, but as British dance critic and art journalist Kavanagh proves in this intricately detailed yet unfailingly compelling biography, his personality and life story are infinitely more complex. Drawing on remarkably intimate materials, Kavanagh sensitively chronicles Nureyevs many tempestuous relationships, including his legendary work with Margot Fonteyn and his formative affair with the outstanding Danish dancer Erik Bruhn. Intense, voracious, and intrepid, Nureyev performed all over the world, collaborated with the finest choreographers, and directed the Paris Opera Ballet. HIV-positive for nine years before his death in 1993, Nureyev was an icon as vulnerable as he was flamboyant, a dancer who embodied freedom yet was haunted by his lost familys suffering, a man in exile for whom only the stage was home. Kavanaghs consummate biography will stand as a pillar in dance history.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)

Starred review from October 1, 2007
The first international ballet superstar, Rudolf Nureyev (1938-1993) made headlines when he defected from Russia in 1961. His onstage partnership with the Royal Ballet's ballerinaassoluta Margot Fonteyn received legendary acclaim. Formerly a Kirov star, trained by the famed ballet teacher Alexander Pushkin and inspired by Nijinsky and Stanislavsky, he shocked and seduced the West with his charismatic stage presence and his passionate, sometimes rough-edged dancing. British ballet critic Kavanagh (Secret Muses: The Life of Frederick Ashton ) captures his phenomenal work ethic, his hunger for new dance experiences (with Jerome Robbins, Martha Graham and Paul Taylor) and his flamboyant life. Her writing style is both readable and sophisticated, showing Nureyev's wit and generosity alongside his carelessness and cruelty. She dissects ballet arcana like the Bournonville and Vaganova techniques-but doesn't stint on celebrity dish. Nureyev's affair with the celebrated Danish dancer Erik Bruhn, his desperate need to dance for George Balanchine and his competition with the younger ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov are detailed, alongside his relationships with Jackie Kennedy, Andy Warhol and Mick Jagger. Kavanagh presents a definitive and moving portrait of one of the 20th century's most hypnotic, ruthless and hedonistic artists. Photos.