Marquee TV Hosts NUREYEV LEGEND AND LEGACY, Star-Studded Streaming Event Celebrating Ballet's Greatest Ever Dancer

MARQUEE TV, the major streaming service for arts and culture, has partnered with Legends and Legacy Ventures in an innovative deal to bring Nureyev Legend and Legacy exclusively to its subscribers.

The one off-event will initially be made available on a pay-per-view basis from September 16th for ten days before becoming available in October to Marquee TV subscribers as part of their subscription. Production photos can be downloaded here and a trailer is available to view here.

Legendary dancer and global icon Rudolph Nureyev is being celebrated over five performances from 5-12 September at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the site of his London debut. With 22 great ballet dancers performing nine classical ballet excerpts, Nureyev Legend and Legacy thrillingly presents highlights in Nureyev's career, curated by ex-Royal Ballet Principal Nehemiah Kish.

Opening on Monday, September 5 to an ecstatic reaction from the audience, which has been matched by the critics which has been unanimous: "Firecracker spins and star turns", Guardian; "Pure quality...a fascinating programme of classical excerpts danced by an outstanding line-up of international artists", The Times and "Outstanding performances...Muntagirov, like Nureyev, has only to take up a position to make you catch your breath", Financial Times. The evening was opened by Ralph Fiennes and ex-head of the Royal Ballet, Dame Monica Mason, who both spoke of his lasting artistry and legacy.

Nina Laricheva, CEO of Marquee, TV commented:

"Marquee TV is delighted to be Nureyev Legend and Legacy's broadcast partner and to be able to bring this great evening to audiences around the world. The gala was a powerful reminder of Nureyev, the great dancer and choreographer. We look forward to welcoming new subscribers to Marquee TV's unrivalled selection of dance performances - from classical ballet to contemporary including The Royal Ballet, BalletBoyz, New York City Ballet, Washington Ballet, English National Ballet."

Nehemiah Kish commented:

"It's exciting to share our performance widely outside of London. Having come from a rural part of North America with limited access to the arts, I know how inspiring it can be to watch ballet from the comfort of your home. Nureyev did so much to popularise ballet with his early televised appearances. I think it's fitting that we can share Nureyev Legend and Legacy with audiences around the world."

Each piece from the gala was chosen to represent a different aspect of Nureyev's life and work, opening with a solo he choreographed for The Sleeping Beauty which showcases his talent as a choreographer and his impact on elevating the role of the male dancer by adding solos to the classical repertoire. It was danced by Guillaume Côté of the National Ballet of Canada.

Other extracts in the programme include a Pas de Deux from Gayane, which reflects Nureyev's folk dance roots, danced by Oleg Ivenko (who played Nureyev in Ralph Fiennes's film The White Crow) partnered by Maia Mahkateli; and the Pas de Six from Laurencia, which Nureyev staged with the Royal Ballet for a TV special in 1964, staged exclusively for this production by Natalia Osipova, who will be accompanied by Cesar Corrales and four dancers from The Royal Ballet.

Marquee TV partners with the world's leading dance, opera, theatre and music companies to offer on demand performances for its global audience. The streaming service currently has over 450 titles including performances by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Opera House, London Philharmonic Orchestra, English National Ballet, Teatro alla Scala and Deutsche Oper Berlin.