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Story 61

Rudolf Nureyev - In March of 1976 I was working as a supernumerary (stage extra) for American Ballet Theatre. During that tour, Rudolf Nureyev was their guest star. In an afternoon rehearsal at the theater in Los Angeles, Nureyev was teaching six young men, including me, our roles in "Raymonda", a ballet in which he danced the part of a medieval knight. The scene was a joust, and he was mounted on a huge wooden horse with wheels. We were to push him around the stage following a certain pattern. During one run-through, we messed it up badly and he became momentarily furious. Of the six guys pushing his horse, I was the one within his reach, and from his high position in the saddle he slapped me on top of the head and yelled an expletive at me. After the rehearsal, I got into the elevator from the studio to the dressing rooms, and found myself alone with Nureyev himself. He was leaning in the corner, looking exhausted from overwork. When he recognized me, he smiled and said "You are a good boy. Keep on trying and you will do well." The door opened and we parted ways. I don't think he was a man who offered apologies easily, but I felt he had made up for his tantrum during the rehearsal.
cdc - Posted: June 26, 2006

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