NUREYEV - Dancing Through Darkness

I found a unused VIRGIN gift card today in my dance bag so I went DVD shopping and came home with this documentary by KULTUR. It deals with the last ten years of his life which is pretty sad but it is good to see the work he did for the Paris Opera and to see clips of he and other beautiful Paris Opera dancers. Fonteyn is there too.

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I LOVE all the Kultur videos.

They make me feel so kultured.

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SO - sad but true tale:

I had tickets to see Baryshnikov in Denver in the early '90's (or late '80's, I can't remember ) Well, DAYS before he was to appear, he injured himself. We were crushed, until it was announced that Nureyev had accepted taking over the tour. Since I had seen Misha, but not His Highness, I was over the moon (even accepting his, shall we say, 'advanced stage of career')

So, we showed up that evening in anticipation, and found him warming up onstage as the audience arrived. Mind you, I had to walk down to the apron to confirm that the overweight man at the barre was actually him.

Then the show started. And very quickly our jaws dropped to our laps. It was excruciating to watch. And embarrassing.

Which led to almost ALL of the audience - including ourselves - getting up IN THE MIDDLE OF APOLLO and walking out. I simply couldn't stand to have any more of my memories wiped out by what was in front of us.

And I realize the time, the limitations and the circumstances - BUT, what I saw was the last desperate grab for attention before imminent death, and I just couldn't play a part.

I will choose to remember the MAN that I had pictures of on my bedroom wall growing up.

And this.

Believe me, Erika, I DO! He was as close to physical perfection as I could imagine in my youth - which was probably part of the problem!

But, OH MY GOD! In his prime, I can't imagine anything more perfectly sexual!

Oh no. I'm confusing him with Alexander Gudonov.