1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,080 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio, 2 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:12,639 Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:16,440 Speaker 1: show that raises the curtain on everyday history and lets 4 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:21,200 Speaker 1: it take a bow. I'm Gabe Lusier and today we're 5 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:25,439 Speaker 1: talking about Rudolph Noriev's leap to freedom, the day when 6 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 1: he became the first of several ballet dancers and artists 7 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:32,520 Speaker 1: to escape from the Soviet Union during the Cold War. 8 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:44,280 Speaker 1: The day was June sixteenth, nineteen sixty one. Russian ballet 9 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:48,639 Speaker 1: dancer Rudolph Noriev defected from the Soviet Union at an 10 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:52,199 Speaker 1: airport in Paris. He had traveled to France as a 11 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: member of the prestigious Kirov Ballet Troupe, which had recently 12 00:00:56,040 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: launched its first international tour. During the group's stay in Paris, 13 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 1: the twenty three year old Noriev fell in love with 14 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:06,479 Speaker 1: the Western way of living, and once the trip was over, 15 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 1: he couldn't bear the thought of returning to life behind 16 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:12,640 Speaker 1: the Iron Curtain, and so as the rest of his 17 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 1: company boarded a plane for the tour's next stop in London, 18 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:20,679 Speaker 1: Noriev broke away from his KGB minders and begged the 19 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:25,759 Speaker 1: French police for protection. His high profile defection came at 20 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: the height of the Cold War, and although the Western 21 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:32,759 Speaker 1: media hailed it as a victory for democracy, for Noreev, 22 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: the decision to defect was more personal than political. Rudolf 23 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:41,920 Speaker 1: Noreev was born on a Trans Siberian train in Siberia 24 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: on March seventeenth, nineteen thirty eight. His mother was on 25 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: her way to visit his father, a military commissar stationed 26 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 1: in Vlativostok, and apparently Rudolf couldn't wait to see him either. 27 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 1: The Noreev family was poor and lived humbly, but Rudolf's 28 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: mother still indulged him and his three older sisters with 29 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 1: occasional trips to the ballet It was on one such 30 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: outing that a young Norriev developed his passion for dance. 31 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:12,920 Speaker 1: At age eleven, he started taking free lessons from a 32 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: former ballerina, and as a teenager, he worked as a 33 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: stage hand while continuing to practice in his spare time. 34 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 1: In nineteen fifty five, Noriyev moved to Leningrad now Saint 35 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:27,720 Speaker 1: Petersburg and was accepted into one of the nation's top 36 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: ballet schools. At seventeen, he was a bit older than 37 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: his fellow freshmen, but the thing that really made him 38 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:39,359 Speaker 1: stand out was his unconventional dance style. Noreyev's training had 39 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: been largely informal, and as a result, his movements broke 40 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:46,680 Speaker 1: from the rigid structure and discipline of traditional Russian ballet. 41 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:51,400 Speaker 1: In addition to his flamboyant stage presence, Noreyev could jump 42 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:55,679 Speaker 1: higher and leap farther than other male dancers, attributes which 43 00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 1: earned him the acclaim of both his instructors and his peers. 44 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:04,080 Speaker 1: After graduating in nineteen fifty eight, Norroyev was invited to 45 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 1: be a featured soloist in the Kirov Ballet now known 46 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:11,320 Speaker 1: as the Mariinsky Ballet. It was quite an honor for 47 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:13,840 Speaker 1: the twenty year old, as the Kirov was one of 48 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 1: Soviet Russia's premier cultural institutions, right up there with the 49 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: Bolshoy Ballet. The company's performances were esteemed not only within 50 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: the USSR, but by art lovers all over the world. However, 51 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:32,480 Speaker 1: there was a downside to all that notoriety. Namely, it 52 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: came with the expectation of stoic, state approved behavior, and 53 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 1: that was a Noroyev's strong suit. Known for his strong 54 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: will and temperamental nature, the dancer often bristled at the 55 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 1: austerity of the Kirov Ballet and its ironclad rules. Soviet 56 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 1: authorities took notice of that tension and decided not to 57 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 1: let Noyev perform abroad for his first several years with 58 00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 1: the company. That rule was finally relaxed in the spring 59 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:04,160 Speaker 1: of nineteen sixty one, when the troop was given the 60 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 1: green light to stage its first foreign tour. As one 61 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:11,840 Speaker 1: of the country's most popular dancers, Norayev was permitted to 62 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:14,720 Speaker 1: go as well, but only if he was accompanied at 63 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: all times by agents of Russia's State security service, the KGB. 64 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,040 Speaker 1: That may sound like a drastic precaution, but the Soviets 65 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:28,040 Speaker 1: did have a lot riding on Kirov's western debut. As 66 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:31,800 Speaker 1: part of its Cold War propaganda campaign, the USSR had 67 00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 1: been searching for ways to tout its supposed cultural superiority. 68 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 1: In April of nineteen sixty one, the country succeeded in 69 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: sending the first cosmonaut ury Gargarian into space. Two months later. 70 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:47,840 Speaker 1: The Kremlin hoped to follow up that victory by showing 71 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: off its most renowned cultural export, the Kirov Ballet, but 72 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: to make sure the tour went off without a hitch, 73 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: the KGB would have to keep an eye on the 74 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: country's most volatile asset, a t twenty three year old 75 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,839 Speaker 1: bisexual dancer who couldn't be trusted to play by the rules. 76 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: Paris was the first stop on the Kirov Company's tour, 77 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:13,520 Speaker 1: and also Noriev's first time outside the Soviet Union. The 78 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:17,440 Speaker 1: dancer stayed on his best behavior during performances, but off 79 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:20,800 Speaker 1: the stage was a different story. Instead of returning to 80 00:05:20,839 --> 00:05:24,479 Speaker 1: the hotel each night and the buses provided, Noreev sneaked 81 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 1: away to hang out with French dancers and other locals 82 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:30,880 Speaker 1: at late night watering holes, and while a couple other 83 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:34,720 Speaker 1: Kirov dancers broke curfew as well, none of them were 84 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:39,080 Speaker 1: considered flight risks by the agents overseeing the tour. By 85 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:42,159 Speaker 1: mid June, the Kirov company had wrapped up its run 86 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:45,400 Speaker 1: in Paris and was preparing for its next stop in London. 87 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:48,919 Speaker 1: But when the group arrived at the le Borges airport 88 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:53,800 Speaker 1: on June sixteenth, Noreev was instead given a ticket to Moscow. 89 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:58,760 Speaker 1: At first, the six KGB agents pretended the dancer had 90 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:02,000 Speaker 1: been called back to do a special performance for Soviet 91 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:07,200 Speaker 1: leader Nikita Khrushchev. Then, when Noroyev refused. They told him 92 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:10,159 Speaker 1: his mother had fallen ill and that she desperately wanted 93 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:13,640 Speaker 1: to see him before she died, but Noroyev knew that 94 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:16,600 Speaker 1: couldn't be true, as he had recently spoken to his 95 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 1: mother on the phone. That's when he realized what was 96 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 1: really going on. The KGB had told the Kremlin about 97 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:26,560 Speaker 1: his wild Knights in Paris, and now he was being 98 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:29,920 Speaker 1: sent back to the Soviet Union to face the consequences. 99 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:33,479 Speaker 1: He wasn't sure what the Soviet authorities would do to him, 100 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:35,800 Speaker 1: but he was convinced that if he did go back, 101 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:39,680 Speaker 1: he'd never be allowed out of the country again. With 102 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:43,600 Speaker 1: his personal freedom on the line, Noriyev once again refused 103 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:46,120 Speaker 1: to go at the agent's They tried to lead him 104 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:48,839 Speaker 1: to the plane by force, but the dancer broke loose 105 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:52,440 Speaker 1: and ran straight into the arms of two French police officers. 106 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:56,680 Speaker 1: Protect me. He shouted in English, I want to be free. 107 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:01,320 Speaker 1: I want the French police to protect me. Despite protests 108 00:07:01,360 --> 00:07:05,719 Speaker 1: from the Soviet agents, Noriev was immediately taken into French custody. 109 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:09,880 Speaker 1: He was eventually granted political asylum in France, forcing the 110 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 1: rest of the Kirov troop and the KGB agents to 111 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:17,720 Speaker 1: return to Russia without him. The dancer's defection was reported 112 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:21,280 Speaker 1: all over the world, except, of course, in the Soviet Union, 113 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:25,360 Speaker 1: where the press wasn't allowed to mention it. Behind the scenes, though, 114 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:29,920 Speaker 1: the Soviet government was fuming. They put Noriev on trial 115 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:34,120 Speaker 1: in absentia, eventually finding him guilty of treason and sentencing 116 00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:39,000 Speaker 1: him to seven years hard labor. Meanwhile, the KGB tried 117 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 1: every trick it could think of to get revenge on 118 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:45,480 Speaker 1: the dancer. The agency coerced his friends and family into 119 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:49,560 Speaker 1: writing letters begging Noroev to return, and they even considered 120 00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 1: ruining his career by sending agents to break his legs. Thankfully, 121 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:58,400 Speaker 1: none of those schemes paid off, and Noriyev continued to 122 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:01,680 Speaker 1: live free for the rest of his life. His defection 123 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:05,120 Speaker 1: did wonders for his career too. Within a week of 124 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:08,560 Speaker 1: claiming asylum, he joined a ballet company in Paris and 125 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 1: began performing in Sleeping Beauty. He later joined England's Royal 126 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:16,240 Speaker 1: Ballet and also made the leap to films in television, 127 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:19,360 Speaker 1: including as the guest host of a nineteen seventy eight 128 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:23,840 Speaker 1: episode of the Muppet Show. In nineteen eighty three, Noriev 129 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:27,320 Speaker 1: was appointed the ballet director of the Paris Opera, where 130 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:30,640 Speaker 1: in addition to directing, he continued to dance and to 131 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:35,559 Speaker 1: mentor the next generation of dancers. In total, he performed 132 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:39,440 Speaker 1: more than ninety different roles with thirty ballet companies over 133 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:44,720 Speaker 1: the course of his three decade career. Sadly, Rudolph Noreyev 134 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 1: tested positive for HIV in nineteen eighty four. He continued 135 00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:52,560 Speaker 1: working for the next seven years, but retired after being 136 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:57,520 Speaker 1: diagnosed with AIDS two years later. On January sixth, nineteen 137 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 1: ninety three, Rudolph Norriev d in Paris from AIDS complications 138 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:06,880 Speaker 1: at the age of fifty four. After his death, Noreev's 139 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:10,520 Speaker 1: brilliance as a dancer was celebrated across the world, but 140 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:14,440 Speaker 1: one of the most touching tributes came rather unexpectedly from 141 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:18,280 Speaker 1: his own home country. It was a statement from Oleg 142 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 1: Vinogradov of the Mariinsky Ballet, the same company he had 143 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:25,520 Speaker 1: danced for and walked out on in nineteen sixty one. 144 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:29,200 Speaker 1: Though brief and to the point, the statement would have 145 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:32,880 Speaker 1: enraged the old Soviet regime as it seemed to vindicate 146 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:38,160 Speaker 1: Noreyev's actions. It said, matter of factly, what Noraev did 147 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:45,360 Speaker 1: in the West, he could never have done here. I'm 148 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:48,559 Speaker 1: Gabe Luzier and hopefully you now know a little more 149 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:52,720 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. You can learn 150 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:56,200 Speaker 1: even more about history by following us on Twitter, Facebook, 151 00:09:56,240 --> 00:10:00,640 Speaker 1: and Instagram at TDI HC Show, and if you have 152 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:03,600 Speaker 1: any comments or suggestions, you can always send them my 153 00:10:03,679 --> 00:10:07,959 Speaker 1: way by writing to this day at iHeartMedia dot com. 154 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:11,559 Speaker 1: Thanks to Chandler Mays and Ben Hackett for producing the show, 155 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:14,199 Speaker 1: and thank you for listening. I'll see you back here 156 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:17,480 Speaker 1: again soon for another day in history class.