Battle of the Gods

The spectacle held New York dance lovers enthralled and rather out of breath this winter: the simultaneous performances, at different theaters, of the two biggest ballet stars in the world —Rudolf Nureyev, who defected from the Kirov Ballet in 1961, and Mikhail Baryshnikov, who did the same thing last spring and whose Western debut was as sensationally successful as Nu- reyev’s had been.

Predictably, both denied there was a contest. Nureyev scorned the very idea: “I never try to compete. I only try to dance better than myself.” Baryshnikov, with modesty befitting his status as a neophyte, described his compatriot as “a very great dancer,” adding that is an honor—and very flattering” to . appearing in New York at the same time as he. Actually, this happened by pure coincidence, for the Hurok organization had booked “Nureyev and Friends” long before Baryshnikov went West. But this did not stop anyone from making comparisons.

RB

About the Author

Ruth Berenson

Featured Tags

The spectacle held New York dance lovers enthralled and rather out of breath this winter: the simultaneous performances, at different theaters, of the two biggest ballet stars in the world —Rudolf Nureyev, who defected from the Kirov Ballet in 1961, and Mikhail Baryshnikov, who did the same thing last spring and whose Western debut was as sensationally successful as Nu- reyev’s had been.

Predictably, both denied there was a contest. Nureyev scorned the very idea: “I never try to compete. I only try to dance better than myself.” Baryshnikov, with modesty befitting his status as a neophyte, described his compatriot as “a very great dancer,” adding that is an honor—and very flattering” to . appearing in New York at the same time as he. Actually, this happened by pure coincidence, for the Hurok organization had booked “Nureyev and Friends” long before Baryshnikov went West. But this did not stop anyone from making comparisons.