Paris Opera Directors Part 4: Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Nureyev (1938–1993) was one of the most influential ballet dancers and choreographers of the twentieth century. Born aboard the Trans-Siberian Railway near Lake Baikal and raised in Oufa, Bashkiria, he (eventually) trained at the Vaganova School in Leningrad and became a soloist with the Kirov Ballet. In 1961, while on tour in Paris, he sought political asylum, an event that transformed his career and international stature. Nureyev danced with