I was in this particular production of the Nutcracker with Nureyev at the Met in NYC around 1968. I was one of the children and remember watching in the wings during this. It was breath taking to watch as a 10 year old. Nureyev however had a bad temper and everything had to be perfect. All the children were afraid of him. But he was an awesome dancer. It was the best moments of my life to share the stage with him and to dance with the Royal Ballet. Moments I will treasure forever.
Это Божественно!Ничто и никто не может приблизиться по исполнению,Выразительности,музыкальности, артистичности к Гению Рудольфу Нурееву!Это Бог Танца!!!
Ruddi created this version for the Royal Ballet, based on the Kirov (Mariinsky) Version he knew. It is fantastic, so in unison, so crisp so controlled and beautifully danced. One of my favourite versions. What a great loss to the world of Dance was his untimely death. His partner in this Merle Park had a very successful career,after her retirement leading to the directorship of The Royal Ballet School.
You are right in your praise, but for me, it is cold. Technically great, but cold. That Rudi made his role equal rather than supportive took some of the charm out of it, for me.
Р.Нуреев пленяет,завораживает.Его па-де-де несравненно,как и его постановка Щелкунчика-лучшая,глаз не отвести от Гения!Прекрасная партнерша!Спасибо за видео.
I love the wonderful male and female energy in ballet and here in particular - for me this embodies our differences and how we can merge them into a special unity
Qu'est-ce q'un "classique"? Celui que l'on admirera éternellement par ses pouvoirs absolus de renouvellement et qui nous donnera tou;jours une vision récrée, vers l'éternité, puissance absolue de l'art parfait. Sublime
great job! You can tell this is a mature dancer. But wow what a great performance she gave! Her lifts and turns were great and she had beautiful arms. Very very professional and always with Nureyev. Both Nureyev and Merle Park are legends. This is old. But classic!
Лучшего па-де-де нет!Исполнение Р.Нуреева -божественно,у него все в гармонии.!Прекрасная партнерша!Хореография этого балета непревзойденна,признана специалистами в тч.Спасибо!
Breathless beauty. The amount of dedication and perseverance it takes to be a ballet dancer (male/female) astounds me and the millions of others in the world who absolutely adore it. I was a ballet dancer in my early child hood and I remember once when I was about 5 years old in our tap dancing class (I was enrolled in ballet and tap), a ballerina came to our class to demonstrate passionate dancing and what it meant to be a real dancer (from your soul). Her gracefulness was beyond compare. Elegance in motion. Her feet glided across the floor like wind over a sheet of ice. Her movements were fluid in nature, expressive and soulful. She inspired me for years, and to this day. She wore a pink body suit, white hosiery and a white crinoline tutu. Her hair was a pale blonde swept up and tucked into a bun at the crown of her head. Till the end of my days I will remember her :)
Это магия.Волшебство.Это только он,Рудольф Нуреев!!!Его постановка непревзойденная, про исполнение можно говорить бесконечно.Божественно!Мерле Парк бесподобная,дострйнегая партнёрша Рудольфа Нуреевс!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
It is important to understand the style of the choreography in a ballet in order to see the beauty in it. Nureyev's pas de deux in the Nutcracker is a blend of 1) his unique use of movement as a kind of a parallel montage between lovers--a component of his idea of the pas de deux as a dialogue rather than a dance in which a man merely shows off a woman...and 2) the ornate, hard-edged, glittering showmanship characteristic of a 19th century Russian classical pas de deux. There are few dancers today capable of performing this pas de deux with the necessary synchronicity of movement and close team work required. Nureyev sets up an obstacle course for himself in his solo--it's true--he is out to prove himself and does it. By showing his unrivaled technical prowess in contrast with his sheer exuberance--those endlessly free, light footed jetes around the stage--he demonstrates his fearlessness and desire to push himself further and further in everything that he does. And throughout the pas de deux, I continue to be stunned by the beauty of his deep plié with its plush line--the super straight back yielding to the elevated arabesque--controlled, sensual, simply glorious. Parks is really well shown off in the solo Nureyev choreographed for her. She was a minor principal with the Royal who stepped to partner with him in this ballet because Fonteyn obviously was not suited for the role of Clara. (Nureyev's version is unique in that Clara undergoes a transformation from a pre-pubescent to a full grown woman in the dream sequence.) Parks moves so quickly and delicately in her solo, starting out in a state of relaxation and simplicity and speeding up into the rapid series of double turns on pointe, each marked with an arabesque in between them, one after another fired off around and around in a circle--an impossibly hard thing to do that--and she makes it seem easy. I would love to see a clip of Antoinette Sibley and Anthony Dowell performing this pas de deux, which they did on the opening night of Nureyev's Nutcracker in London. Contemporaries of Nureyev's, Sibley was an enigmatic and extremely technically skilled ballerina; Dowell was technical perfection itself. He lacked Nureyev's charisma, but had a very appealing stage personality. He and Sibley were an adored and popular duo. I would love to have seen their performance of this pas de deux--if anyone has a clip, please come forth with it!
However much i admired the talent and courage of the legendary ballerina, Margot Fonteyn, this is the particular pas de deux that leaves me most awestruck... and breathless.❤🎉
Nureyev's original version of The Nutcracker for The Royal Ballet...circa 1970...possibly later. My guess, The Met or Covent Garden. The main thing to appreciate about this clip is how closely these two are working together, how tight they are as a couple--showmanship and partnering at a level you rarely see today. It's a beautiful piece of choreography, one of Nureyev's finest, unique, yet Russian to the core. Parks was not Nureyev's favorite partner, but they worked well together: He gives Parks his all at every moment--these are not two strangers dancing together. She is quick, precise, and her timing is incredible. They are perfectly in sync, with only a few exceptions, in what is a very, very demanding piece of teamwork. Early on, the mirrored poses and planes of identical movement sustained reflect the tension of the heavily weighted string section of one of Tchaikovsky's most emotional pas de deux composed for the ballet. Transformation is the theme of the Nutcracker, a metaphor for the rite of passage a girl undergoes from adolescence to womanhood. The story is nearly always the same but handled in myriad ways by various choreographers. Nureyev's version is very comical, imaginative and childlike in its vision, yet at the same time, extremely Freudian. In Act I Clara is portrayed as a lumpy, awkward girl in search of a father figure--Heir Drosselmeir suffices. Her dream of Christmas and nuts turns into a nightmare as she grapples with fears of her own power. Her dress gradually loses layers of petticoats and she becomes more svelte. In Nureyev's production the mice were rats--13 year old girls crawling around on knee pads inside tight black and brown "wet" suits with bulging muscles, hideous heads and long, mangy tails. Whey they rise up in an army and Clara becomes the damsel in distress, it's pretty real. The Nutcracker Prince has the chance to step forth and save her. He teaches her a thing or two as well. By the finale, what we see is a very different version of Clara. She has come into harmony with her masculine self and, by acquiring male qualities, her feminine confidence has emerged. In this clip. we see a woman completely in control of herself whose partner reveres her. She has become the hard-edged, bejeweled, glittering ballerina who is the classic object of beauty of the Russian school.The sense of victory and relief at the end conveys a celebration of human transformation--the ability to change, grow and mature. Clara is now in possession of herself--a fierce, sharp edged, queen capable of wielding power just like a man. While the choreography includes Nureyev's characteristic ideas of the pas de deux as a dialogue/conversation between two people, it is primarily a classical Russian showpiece. Emotion is put aside in a highly stylized show of strength, bravura and technical mastery. After the series of mirrored movements that establish the pair's unity, come a striking series of quintessentially Russian poses, multiple pirouettes, dazzling lifts, fish dives and so that all add to the excitement, contrasted by the playful juxtaposition of intricate foot work as they lead one another to the climax of the pas de deux. Nureyev tosses Parks to and fro in his arms with such intimacy and violence that his passion seems both hidden and palpable. Parks doesn't blink an eye, secure and safe in the arms of her equal. All of these ingredients build to a surprising and stunning "tableau a deux." Sure, it would be great if Parks' feet were more sharply pointed, as one viewer noted, but this is not a technical failing on Parks' part. Her feet are pointed, they are simply square shaped at the toe. It's true they fail to provide the impression of a prettily arched, pointed foot that this pas de deux in particular would seem to demand, but don't be a petty Betty. Park's musicality more than makes up for what she lacks in basic, physical equipment. She is a fairly tiny woman, and it's a wonder she is capable of executing such broad strokes and severe postures - all with such speed and panache - it's quite a feat. During her solo this clip actually looks speeded up simply because she is moving so fast. She certainly understands the style she is working in. It's a real extreme that few dancers today can grasp and at best, attempt to affect. Nureyev's The Nutcracker premiered in New York at the Met in the spring of 1968 and was included again in their season at the Met in 1970.
+Janet Shannon Nureyev's production premiered at Covent Garden in Feb 1968. The reviews weren't exactly positive. The name of the ballerina is Park, not Parks.
Nureyev incomparable. The "problem" with Nureyev is that Ballet is built around the beautiful angelic ballerina who is supported by a Male ( often a prince) who is there to showcase the Ballerina. Nureyev however, is simply so brilliant ( and unparalled ) that his mesmeric talent and ability overshadow the Ballerina. I am perpetually astonished by him and these old youtube clips, how I wish I could have seen him live. Staggering talent died far far too young. Poor Merle can hardly keep up by the end !
If you see Steve McRae’s nutcracker he is much more of a virtuoso than Nureyev was at this late time of his career. But it should be admitted that Nureyev kept an elegance in his movement rarely matched. …
I was in this particular production of the Nutcracker with Nureyev at the Met in NYC around 1968. I was one of the children and remember watching in the wings during this. It was breath taking to watch as a 10 year old. Nureyev however had a bad temper and everything had to be perfect. All the children were afraid of him. But he was an awesome dancer. It was the best moments of my life to share the stage with him and to dance with the Royal Ballet. Moments I will treasure forever.
It never be bored to watch Nureyev s dancing . Love and miss him forevet.
Это Божественно!Ничто и никто не может приблизиться по исполнению,Выразительности,музыкальности, артистичности к Гению Рудольфу Нурееву!Это Бог Танца!!!
Магия!Волшебство!другого такого не родилось!Гений Рудольф Нуреев!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Ruddi created this version for the Royal Ballet, based on the Kirov (Mariinsky) Version he knew.
It is fantastic, so in unison, so crisp so controlled and beautifully danced. One of my favourite versions. What a great loss to the world of Dance was his untimely death. His partner in this Merle Park had a very successful career,after her retirement leading to the directorship of The Royal Ballet School.
You are right in your praise, but for me, it is cold. Technically great, but cold. That Rudi made his role equal rather than supportive took some of the charm out of it, for me.
Р.Нуреев пленяет,завораживает.Его па-де-де несравненно,как и его постановка Щелкунчика-лучшая,глаз не отвести от Гения!Прекрасная партнерша!Спасибо за видео.
I love the choreography, the dancing and maybe most of all, Tchaikovsky's wonderful music! The Nutcracker is an incredible suite.
I love the wonderful male and female energy in ballet and here in particular - for me this embodies our differences and how we can merge them into a special unity
КАКИЕ СЛОВА НАЙТИ,ЧТОБЫ выразить свое восхищение?!Божественное сияние исходит от Рудольфа Нуреева! Партнерша прекрасная.
Всторгаюсь Р.Нуреевым,аристократ танца,элегантность,красота,виртуозное владен ие телом!Все в превосходной степени!Партнерша великолепна!
Génial Noureiev! C'est bien lui le plus grand danseur. Merci à lui pour tout ce qu'il nous a donné.
A real jewel of ballet!
Ооо,нет слов от восхищения!
i am actually in tears after watching such percfection!!
Qu'est-ce q'un "classique"? Celui que l'on admirera éternellement par ses pouvoirs absolus de renouvellement et qui nous donnera tou;jours une vision récrée, vers l'éternité, puissance absolue de l'art parfait. Sublime
Лучше Р.Нуреева нет в балете!Сегодня день рождения Гения!
great job! You can tell this is a mature dancer. But wow what a great performance she gave! Her lifts and turns were great and she had beautiful arms. Very very professional and always with Nureyev. Both Nureyev and Merle Park are legends. This is old. But classic!
Лучшего па-де-де нет!Исполнение Р.Нуреева -божественно,у него все в гармонии.!Прекрасная партнерша!Хореография этого балета непревзойденна,признана специалистами в тч.Спасибо!
he was the best among the best, a gift from god
Божественно!Партнерша прекрасная у Гения !танца!-Несравненного Рудольфа Нуреева!
Уже и слов не хватает,чтобы выразить восхищение в высшей степени!Гений,несравненный!Как его не хватает.!
Breathless beauty. The amount of dedication and perseverance it takes to be a ballet dancer (male/female) astounds me and the millions of others in the world who absolutely adore it. I was a ballet dancer in my early child hood and I remember once when I was about 5 years old in our tap dancing class (I was enrolled in ballet and tap), a ballerina came to our class to demonstrate passionate dancing and what it meant to be a real dancer (from your soul). Her gracefulness was beyond compare. Elegance in motion. Her feet glided across the floor like wind over a sheet of ice. Her movements were fluid in nature, expressive and soulful. She inspired me for years, and to this day. She wore a pink body suit, white hosiery and a white crinoline tutu. Her hair was a pale blonde swept up and tucked into a bun at the crown of her head. Till the end of my days I will remember her :)
Божественно-Рудольф Нуреев!Всегда у Гения прекрасные партнерши.!
Это магия.Волшебство.Это только он,Рудольф Нуреев!!!Его постановка непревзойденная, про исполнение можно говорить бесконечно.Божественно!Мерле Парк бесподобная,дострйнегая партнёрша Рудольфа Нуреевс!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Изысканно,благородно!Аристократ на сцене-Гений Рудольф Нуреев!Слов не хватает.
Во всем неповторим.!Сегодня день рождения великого танцовщика-Р.Нуреева!
Это Высокое искусство!Шедевральное исполнение!Эталон па-де-де!
Это Полет В Небеса!ЧУДО!ВОЛШЕБСТВО!!!
no me canso de ver esta hermosa danza y con este grande,siempre en nuestros corazones,RUDOLPF NUREYEV.
It is important to understand the style of the choreography in a ballet in order to see the beauty in it. Nureyev's pas de deux in the Nutcracker is a blend of 1) his unique use of movement as a kind of a parallel montage between lovers--a component of his idea of the pas de deux as a dialogue rather than a dance in which a man merely shows off a woman...and 2) the ornate, hard-edged, glittering showmanship characteristic of a 19th century Russian classical pas de deux. There are few dancers today capable of performing this pas de deux with the necessary synchronicity of movement and close team work required. Nureyev sets up an obstacle course for himself in his solo--it's true--he is out to prove himself and does it. By showing his unrivaled technical prowess in contrast with his sheer exuberance--those endlessly free, light footed jetes around the stage--he demonstrates his fearlessness and desire to push himself further and further in everything that he does. And throughout the pas de deux, I continue to be stunned by the beauty of his deep plié with its plush line--the super straight back yielding to the elevated arabesque--controlled, sensual, simply glorious.
Parks is really well shown off in the solo Nureyev choreographed for her. She was a minor principal with the Royal who stepped to partner with him in this ballet because Fonteyn obviously was not suited for the role of Clara. (Nureyev's version is unique in that Clara undergoes a transformation from a pre-pubescent to a full grown woman in the dream sequence.) Parks moves so quickly and delicately in her solo, starting out in a state of relaxation and simplicity and speeding up into the rapid series of double turns on pointe, each marked with an arabesque in between them, one after another fired off around and around in a circle--an impossibly hard thing to do that--and she makes it seem easy.
I would love to see a clip of Antoinette Sibley and Anthony Dowell performing this pas de deux, which they did on the opening night of Nureyev's Nutcracker in London. Contemporaries of Nureyev's, Sibley was an enigmatic and extremely technically skilled ballerina; Dowell was technical perfection itself. He lacked Nureyev's charisma, but had a very appealing stage personality. He and Sibley were an adored and popular duo. I would love to have seen their performance of this pas de deux--if anyone has a clip, please come forth with it!
Janet Shannon
This makes me miss ballet SO MUCH!! This pas de deux is just gorgeous...WOW
Восхитительно-грация,изысканность-духовное сияние исходит от Рудольфа Нуреева!Партнерша прекрасная.
Whoever choreographed this was a genius.
However much i admired the talent and courage of the legendary ballerina, Margot Fonteyn,
this is the particular pas de deux that leaves me most awestruck... and breathless.❤🎉
В танце Гения Рудольфа Нуреева чувственность, поэтичность,грация и благородство.!Хореография выше всех похвал,лучшего Щелкунчика
Изумительно!!! ЭТАЛОН ИСПОЛНИТЕЛЬСТВА!!!
Божественно!Гений Рудольф Нуреев!
Спасибо за видео!!!!!
the definitive version - nureyev - always a genius, merle park, seuch delicacy and steel!
coraclewoman
Завораживает!Аристократизм,благородство и утонченность,грациозность и музыкальность,гармония ао всем-это все Рудольф Нуреев!!!
Лень рождения гениального танцовщика и выдающейся личности!
Bravissimo, es una presentacion espectacular, que arte tan maravilloso, interpretacion, la musica el escenario, todo de ensueño...
Nureyev's original version of The Nutcracker for The Royal Ballet...circa 1970...possibly later. My guess, The Met or Covent Garden. The main thing to appreciate about this clip is how closely these two are working together, how tight they are as a couple--showmanship and partnering at a level you rarely see today. It's a beautiful piece of choreography, one of Nureyev's finest, unique, yet Russian to the core. Parks was not Nureyev's favorite partner, but they worked well together: He gives Parks his all at every moment--these are not two strangers dancing together. She is quick, precise, and her timing is incredible. They are perfectly in sync, with only a few exceptions, in what is a very, very demanding piece of teamwork. Early on, the mirrored poses and planes of identical movement sustained reflect the tension of the heavily weighted string section of one of Tchaikovsky's most emotional pas de deux composed for the ballet. Transformation is the theme of the Nutcracker, a metaphor for the rite of passage a girl undergoes from adolescence to womanhood. The story is nearly always the same but handled in myriad ways by various choreographers.
Nureyev's version is very comical, imaginative and childlike in its vision, yet at the same time, extremely Freudian. In Act I Clara is portrayed as a lumpy, awkward girl in search of a father figure--Heir Drosselmeir suffices. Her dream of Christmas and nuts turns into a nightmare as she grapples with fears of her own power. Her dress gradually loses layers of petticoats and she becomes more svelte. In Nureyev's production the mice were rats--13 year old girls crawling around on knee pads inside tight black and brown "wet" suits with bulging muscles, hideous heads and long, mangy tails. Whey they rise up in an army and Clara becomes the damsel in distress, it's pretty real. The Nutcracker Prince has the chance to step forth and save her. He teaches her a thing or two as well. By the finale, what we see is a very different version of Clara. She has come into harmony with her masculine self and, by acquiring male qualities, her feminine confidence has emerged. In this clip. we see a woman completely in control of herself whose partner reveres her. She has become the hard-edged, bejeweled, glittering ballerina who is the classic object of beauty of the Russian school.The sense of victory and relief at the end conveys a celebration of human transformation--the ability to change, grow and mature. Clara is now in possession of herself--a fierce, sharp edged, queen capable of wielding power just like a man.
While the choreography includes Nureyev's characteristic ideas of the pas de deux as a dialogue/conversation between two people, it is primarily a classical Russian showpiece. Emotion is put aside in a highly stylized show of strength, bravura and technical mastery. After the series of mirrored movements that establish the pair's unity, come a striking series of quintessentially Russian poses, multiple pirouettes, dazzling lifts, fish dives and so that all add to the excitement, contrasted by the playful juxtaposition of intricate foot work as they lead one another to the climax of the pas de deux. Nureyev tosses Parks to and fro in his arms with such intimacy and violence that his passion seems both hidden and palpable. Parks doesn't blink an eye, secure and safe in the arms of her equal. All of these ingredients build to a surprising and stunning "tableau a deux."
Sure, it would be great if Parks' feet were more sharply pointed, as one viewer noted, but this is not a technical failing on Parks' part. Her feet are pointed, they are simply square shaped at the toe. It's true they fail to provide the impression of a prettily arched, pointed foot that this pas de deux in particular would seem to demand, but don't be a petty Betty. Park's musicality more than makes up for what she lacks in basic, physical equipment. She is a fairly tiny woman, and it's a wonder she is capable of executing such broad strokes and severe postures - all with such speed and panache - it's quite a feat. During her solo this clip actually looks speeded up simply because she is moving so fast. She certainly understands the style she is working in. It's a real extreme that few dancers today can grasp and at best, attempt to affect.
Nureyev's The Nutcracker premiered in New York at the Met in the spring of 1968 and was included again in their season at the Met in 1970.
Yes. May be Covent Garden. 1970. His version... sometimes not so necessary. But valuable. At saw him at Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires.
+Janet Shannon
Nureyev's production premiered at Covent Garden in Feb 1968. The reviews weren't exactly positive.
The name of the ballerina is Park, not Parks.
yes, her name is merle park, not parks. thanks for the correction.
Thank you, Janet. Very interesting article. Liliana.
Muchas Gracias por tan importante informacion. Amo a Rudolf.
Blessed Blessed forever in our heart.
ho visto tanti passi a due de Lo Schiaccianoci, ma questo è il migliore in assoluto!
... non c'è ne sarà mai uno altrettanto bello!
Très très pro .......la classe .......
Dear Ruddi... RIP. Your loss is felt by many.
Очарование!я это Гений Рудольф Нуреев!!!❤❤❤
Maravilloso Nureyev !!!!
His untimely death...What he had taken away is not only a uncomparable Ballet Star, but a kind of Spirit !
Рудольф Нуреев-Кудесник балета!Он задает высочайшую планку себе и партнерше.❤❤
BRAVOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, BRAVOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Encantador
Восторг!!!
Nureyev simply dazzling
Belíssimo!
Рудольф Нуреев-это кантилена!Гений!!!
Прекрасная партнерша-М.Парк,утонченная,элегантная,музыкальная!
Rudolph Nureyev! I LOVE HIM!
THE BEST
Грандиозно!!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Великий Рудольф Нуреев!Прекрасная Мерле Парк!
the best version ever
Лучшего Щелкунчика НЕТ!!!
beautiful
Wheneve i feel anxious i always watch this beautiful video :)
Дух захватывает!
Лучше нет.Гений!
¡¡¡¡BRAVÍSIMOOOOOOOS!!!
Лучше нет и не будет!!!
На сцене Он-Гений,только его видишь!
Гений!!!!!
Непревзойденн!❤❤❤❤❤
HERMOSO BALLET.
Завораживает,❤❤❤❤
WOOOWWWW
meravigliosi!!!!!!!!
Nureyev incomparable. The "problem" with Nureyev is that Ballet is built around the beautiful angelic ballerina who is supported by a Male ( often a prince) who is there to showcase the Ballerina. Nureyev however, is simply so brilliant ( and unparalled ) that his mesmeric talent and ability overshadow the Ballerina. I am perpetually astonished by him and these old youtube clips, how I wish I could have seen him live. Staggering talent died far far too young. Poor Merle can hardly keep up by the end !
lo maximo rudolf nureyev
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
R. Nureyev el mejor bailarin del mundo.
great partner
Мерле Парк❤❤
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Космос!!!!!!
Thanks!
He is Rudolph Nureyev, the best
VIVA TCHAIKOWSKY !
el mejor cascanueces danzado del mundo.he comparado a mi parecer es lo maximo,
Космос!
Лучше постановки РНуреева нет!
Изысканный ЩЕЛКУНЧИК-ЭТО ВСЕ Р.НУРЕЕВ-БОГ БАЛЕТА!!!
If you see Steve McRae’s nutcracker he is much more of a virtuoso than Nureyev was at this late time of his career. But it should be admitted that Nureyev kept an elegance in his movement rarely matched. …
And who is she? Also fantastic!
How can you add more dancers when it's a dance for two?
Merle Park proche de la perfection
Hello! I have a question: the video are from the Ballet of Paris, Royal Ballet or Russia? Thanks.
Поэзия!!
Merle Park
I loved everything but the Prince's makeup (which is not his fault) it looks stupid I do love the dancing though
I love tier dance but the way the women is holding her pointed and the way she stands on them doesn't look right