They were also booked into City Prison. Added to the Paris Opera Ballet’s repertoire in 1984, Rudolf Nureyev's version uses much of the ballet that he had premiered in London in 1977. He asked to dance Spectre de la Rose with her but she was already committed to do this with John Gilpin, and anyway was not sure how well she and “this young Russian” would suit each other. Anthony Dowell as the Prince, Rudolf Nureyev and Antoinette Sibley as Clara backstage for The Nutcracker (1968), The Royal Ballet. In his version of Romeo and Juliet for the Royal Ballet, which Nureyev danced with Fonteyn, Kenneth MacMillan builds up the tension beween the … His magnificent Romeo & Juliette would go on to inspire numerous other versions, including that of Kenneth MacMillan, first performed in 1965 with Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn in the leading roles. [1] [2] [3] This production premiered at the London Coliseum on 2 June 1977, with the British ballerina Patricia Ruanne as Juliet and Rudolf as Romeo. Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev conveyed passion in such ballets as Romeo and Juliet. She was 48; he was 29. Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn in rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet, choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan, in 1965. MacMillan had actually written the part with Lynn Seymour and … In the 1967 Summer of Love, international ballet stars Rudolph Nureyev and Dame Margot Fonteyn were booked at the San Francisco Ballet to perform Romeo and Juliet. In the New York Times in 2007. In 1977, Nureyev left the Royal Ballet and created his own production of the ballet for London Festival Ballet to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Frederick Ashton, Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev during rehearsals. On … Rudolf Nureyev as Romeo and Margot Fonteyn as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, The Royal Ballet Romeo and Juliet: choreography by Kenneth MacMillan, music by Sergei Prokofiev Juliet Fonteyn and Nureyev danced in the world premier of the ballet on 9 February 1965 at the insistence of the Royal Opera management. He also lauded Seymour's rebellious Juliet. In 1961, Nureyev was invited to make his London debut at the annual gala organised by Margot Fonteyn for the Royal Academy of Dancing. Both were passionate performers, particularly in dramatic story ballets like Romeo and Juliet and Swan Lake. By 1967, Nureyev and Fonteyn were the most famous dancers in the world. Alastair Macaulay spoke of Fonteyn and Nureyev's performance as "If there was a single moment in my life that turned me into a ballet obsessive, that was it". Fonteyn and Nureyev toured internationally throughout the ’60s and ’70s to an ecstatic reception. Photograph by Donald Southern. While Nureyev was known for his charismatic stage presence and reckless abandon, Fonteyn was regal, sylph-like and technically refined. Chemistry: Nureyev and Fonteyn share a joke during rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet in London in 1964 However, the decision to pair up with him was not an easy one, she admitted to me. It is a night that has gone down in dance history. Romeo and Juliet has become a staple of the Royal Ballet's Repertoire.