My Favourite Swan Lake Performance

https://youtu.be/OQvISdUX9kE For Swan Lake, this was an ideal partnership and I have not seen a better performance of this ballet anywhere, ever since. Swan Lake remained a special ballet in the career of Rudolf Nureyev. He danced in the role of Prince Siegfried in 1963 with the Royal Ballet and that production was staged by Nicholas Sergeyev who was the former stage manager of the Maryinsky Theatre. Nureyev gave the role his own identity. He redefined this character by going against the boring and colourless interpretations. Thanks to Nureyev, the male dancer in this ballet now became the equal of the female star. Margot Fonteyn was his perfect match and he danced with her first in 1963 at the Champs Elysees Theatre in Paris.Nureyev has imposed not only is charisma and his skills throughout his career in numerous versions of Swan Lake but he has also danced on some occasions in the role of evil Rothbart, the sorcerer. My favourite performance is with the Vienna Opera dancers and Vienna Symphony Orchestra under the direction of John Lanchbery. Fonteyn and Nureyev created the original choreography of Le Lac Des Cygnes under the direction of Nureyev with costumes and decors done by Nicholas Georgiadis. This film was captured by Unitel in 1964 and the production became an artistic mega event. At the final performance of the premier in Vienna, Fonteyn and Nureyev received eighty nine curtain calls and this is the highest number that has ever been taken, anywhere.