Life Behind the Metaphor: Rudolf Nureyev and the Dutch National Ballet

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 136 pages
• Published by: The Nureyev Legacy Project; First edition October 1, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0976123312
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0976123316
• Book Dimensions: 12.8 x 9.6 x 1 inches
• Weighs: 3.6 pounds

Product Review
Rudolf Nureyev leaps off the pages in this stunning collection of eighty black-and-white photographs from a 15-year period during which he toured the United States with the Dutch National Ballet (DNB). Drawn from the archives of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the pictures chronicle the legendary dancer in such ballets as Le Corsaire, Four Schumann Pieces, and Afternoon of a Faun. Van Dantzig (former artistic director, DNB) allowed Urban to photograph Nureyev and company members on and off stage, and because Nureyev's contracts prohibited performance photos, many of these images are not only unique but also rare. In this coffee-table art book, the photographs are printed on archival-quality paper, and the text includes comments from van Dantzig, Nureyev, and Urban. Anyone who saw Nureyev dance will relive the experience with these photographs; those who didn't will wish they had. Highly recommended for dance and performing arts collections. —Carolyn M. Mulac, Chicago P.L. --Library Journal

The Dutch National Ballet arrived in the United States in the summer of 1978 with the brightest of all guest stars, Rudolf Nureyev. As the luggage came off the carousel, artistic director Rudi van Dantzig felt a tap on his shoulder and an earnest young American named Roger Urban talked his way into photographing the company's tour. The idea for Life Behind the Metaphor was born.

The black-and-white photographs that appear in this collection have never been published. Rehearsal shots of the company, moments between Nureyev and van Dantzig, and blockbuster performances of Le Corsaire and Toer van Schayk's Afternoon of a Faun have the distinction of being personally approved by the man himself. While Nureyev inevitably shines with his glorious ballon and charismatic looks, his sound bites are also pungent. Among other gems, there's Nureyev insisting that the photographer never crop out the stage floor from under his soaring jeté. His quotations also reveal periods of darkness and his tumultuous relationship with van Dantzig.

Equally remarkable is van Dantzig's unaffected prose. His musings on being airborne are framed by shots of dancers soaring off a diving board, arms out-stretched, toes pointed.

All proceeds of this gorgeously produced book go to benefit The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Dance Division. —Kina Poon --Dance Magazine

For that crazed balletomane in your life, this stunning photography book, with text by Rudi van Dantzig and Roger Urban and photographs by the latter is a stellar collector s item. --Time Out New York

Product Description
When Rudolf Nureyev danced, "He commanded vast admiration," wrote Clement Crisp. "He warmed the stage, the audience, his fellow dancers, the art of ballet itself, and this was his genius."

But for a man who was such a celebrated dancer, relatively few photographs and personal recollections of Nureyev and his art exist. "Most people think that there are many photographs of Rudolf Nureyev in performance," says Roger Urban, the photographer of the new book, Life Behind the Metaphor. "But because his contracts prohibited photography, such photographs are in fact quite rare." Life Behind the Metaphor contains the only personally authorized in-performance photographs of Rudolf Nureyev during a 15-year period. Several of these ballets with Rudolf Nureyev are not recorded anywhere else.

During the summer of 1978, Rudolf Nureyev toured America with the Dutch National Ballet. Remembering that time, Nureyev recalled, "I was still delectable; the public was quite for me; I felt I could present anything." Nureyev performed Four Schumann Pieces and the pas de deux from Le Corsaire along with two ballets newly created especially for him: About a Dark House and a modern adaptation of Afternoon of a Faun. During this tour, Rudi van Dantzig, Artistic Director of the Dutch National Ballet, created many unique photo opportunities for this book s creator, Roger Urban. He was given access to performances, rehearsals, classes, warm-ups and other behind-the-scenes situations.

As they toured the United States, Roger Urban had many relaxed and candid conversations with Rudolf Nureyev. From these interviews came the rare, introspective statements that are recorded in Life Behind the Metaphor. Robert Greskovic, the Wall Street Journal ballet expert, stated, "You've amassed the biggest concentration of Nureyev quotes I have so far seen in one place." Nureyev himself also personally reviewed and selected the photographs that he felt best represented his art, his technique, and his behind-the-scenes work process. Following this tour, Rudi van Dantzig wrote extensively about ballet, his own choreography, and his close relationship with Rudolf Nureyev. Van Dantzig's writing forms a large part of Life Behind the Metaphor.

Featuring more than eighty exquisite duotone photographs, and printed using a stochastic process and inks developed for Ansel Adams, this unique limited-edition collector's item may be the finest book of Nureyev photography ever created. These previously unpublished photographs of Nureyev in performance and behind the scenes reveal the majesty of this master dancer as never before.

Reader Reviews
This book of rare Nureyev photographs is of the highest quality, from the paper to the printing to the binding. Ansel Adams' former printer produced "Life Behind the Metaphor", which explains the astounding achievement. If you're a fan of fine photography or ballet or both, then this is definitely for you. There are next to no photographs of Nureyev in performance during the time period in which these were taken--the dancer's contracts forbade it. So, the fact that these photos exist at all is pretty amazing. In the book, the photographer, Urban, explains how he gained access to and the trust of Nureyev during a Dutch National Ballet tour of the US. The two eventually became friends. Given all the hoopla about the Nureyev biography released last year, it's a shame that this book hasn't garnered more attention. A worthwhile purchase, to say the least. Comment | | (Report this)