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BAC Announces $3M Gift From The Rudolf Nureyev Foundation

To Create The Rudolf Nureyev Endowment And to Name The Rudolf Nureyev Studio

Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) announces the award of a $3 million gift from the Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation to create the Rudolf Nureyev Endowment and to name the Rudolf Nureyev Studio. This is the first endowment gift to Baryshnikov Arts Center, made as it celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year. It is specifically designated to support dance activity at BAC and to name BAC’s Studio 4A the Rudolf Nureyev Studio in perpetuity. The gift was announced by Barry L. Weinstein, the Chairman of the Board of the Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation at BAC’s 10th Anniversary Fall Fête on September 28, held at the Center.

Studio 4A at Baryshnikov Arts Center will be renamed 'the Rudolf Nureyev Studio.'

Mr. Weinstein said: “The Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation is proud to award the Baryshnikov Arts Center a significant gift to create a named space for Rudolf Nureyev. Our gift is a fitting tribute to Nureyev's legacy and an important recognition of BAC's role as a home for dance. Nureyev's emergence in the West was pivotal in dance history and paved the way for future dance luminaries. The uniting of the names, Nureyev and Baryshnikov, who shared cultural backgrounds, were both trained in the legendary Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg, were colleagues and friends, and who were arguably two of the greatest dancers the world has ever seen, will provide stimulus for excellence in dance for many years to come.”

Ballet superstars MIKHAIL BARYSHNIKOV and RUDOLF NUREYEV give a “lift” to musical comedy star GWEN VERDON as they practice for a guest appearance in a gala benefit for the Paul Taylor Dance Company at City Center in 1981. It was the first time the two dancers, preeminent in their discipline, performed together.

Mikhail Baryshnikov, artistic director of BAC said: “I am thrilled and grateful for the generous support from the Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation. With this new gift, we will be able to establish the first endowed fund at BAC––an incredible milestone for our organization. BAC’s mission is to provide a space and home for artists and dancers to continue to grow and develop their art, with absolute freedom. This embodies what Rudolf Nureyev represented: who he was as a person and an artist. I am so moved to be able to have a space at BAC that will bear Rudolf Nureyev’s name and provide inspiration for countless dancers and artists in the years to come. Rudolf loved this City and I know he would be so happy to know that his name will be carried forward here at BAC.”