Nina Vyroubova (1921-2007)

[Estelle]

The former POB principal Nina Vyroubova died on June 25, aged 86. Unfortunately I found almost no obituary about her (just a "dépêche AFP":

http://www.maison-russie.fr/index.php?opti...8&Itemid=31

She was born in Russia in 1921, and had created the role of "la belle endormie" in Roland Petit's "Les forains" in 1945 with the Ballets des Champs Elysées. She became a POB principal in 1949 and had created many roles for Lifar.

[bart]

I didn't know that she was Nureyev's first partner in the West (after leaving the POB).:

Après son départ de l'Opéra en 1957, elle avait rejoint la Compagnie du Marquis de Cuevas où elle est restée jusqu'en 1962. En 1961, elle avait été l'interprète d'Aurore dans "la Belle au bois dormant", ce qui a fait d'elle la première partenaire de Rudolf Noureev (dans le rôle du Prince) après le passage à l'Ouest de ce dernier.

The obituary says -- incorrectly -- that she was 96, despite giving her birth year as 1921.

[leonid17]

The former POB principal Nina Vyroubova died on June 25, aged 86. Unfortunately I found almost no obituary about her (just a "dépêche AFP":

http://www.maison-russie.fr/index.php?opti...8&Itemid=31

She was born in Russia in 1921, and had created the role of "la belle endormie" in Roland Petit's "Les forains" in 1945 with the Ballets des Champs Elysées. She became a POB principal in 1949 and had created many roles for Lifar.

The link below will take you to Clement Crisp's review of Ashton's 'Fille' at Paris Opera Ballet and an obituary for Nina Vyroubova

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/5581db6e-25ef-11dc...0b5df10621.html

EDIT: TO ADD The most I could find on her career is at

answers.com

[Dale]

There was a lovely french documentary done on her, with clips of her dancing and scenes of her coaching. In it, she goes back to Russia. There is one scene of her talking about her roles with some girls from the Vaganova academy - and there in the front row, nodding and smiling is Veronika Part (probably 15 or 16 years old). I believe it's available at dancebooks.co.uk.

[rg]

the dominque delouche docu. of her:' les cahiers retrouves de nina vyrubova' is quite memorable not least of which for the way la vyrubova keeps saying: CALME! CALME! CALME! to her various charges as they take her tutelage for the roles she danced in her youth. i don't think the film is out on commercial home-system video in the USA but i could be wrong.

(some of this very footage was recycled by delouche for his more recent film about serge lifar, shown recently at 'dance on camera' in nyc this past january.)

the following photo and attached captioning show how soon after his defection in mid-june, 1961, nureyev danced with nina vyrubova.

maybe french readers can say if the mention of orly is a mistake or if this name is interchangeable w/ that of le bourget, where nureyev actually made his 'escape'.

[Estelle]

Thanks for the comments and links.

The fact that I couldn't find an obituary in French newspapers is quite telling, alas, of the poor state of French dance criticism... :-(

It seems that her death was announced by Dominique Delouche. I hope I can manage to see his documentary about her someday...

rg, Le Bourget and Orly definitely are different airports (as far as I know, now le Bourget is active mostly for private commercial flights, and is much smaller than Orly) and I've always read that Nureyev's "escape" was in Le Bourget, so it probably is a mistake. Thanks for the lovely photograph.

[leonid17]

Thanks for the comments and links.

The fact that I couldn't find an obituary in French newspapers is quite telling, alas, of the poor state of French dance criticism... :-(

It seems that her death was announced by Dominique Delouche. I hope I can manage to see his documentary about her someday...

rg, Le Bourget and Orly definitely are different airports (as far as I know, now le Bourget is active mostly for private commercial flights, and is much smaller than Orly) and I've always read that Nureyev's "escape" was in Le Bourget, so it probably is a mistake. Thanks for the lovely photograph.

Todays New York Times has a fitting tribute by Anna Kisselgoff.