In 1961, ballet superstar Rudolf Nureyev made a daring leap to freedom in Paris
Ballet legend Rudolf Nureyev made a split-second decision to defect from the Soviet Union at a Paris airport in 1961, changing the world of dance and the Cold War forever.
During a 1961 tour with the Kirov Ballet, Rudolf Nureyev realized that Soviet authorities intended to force him back to Moscow rather than allowing him to continue to London. In a high-stakes moment at Le Bourget airport, he broke away from his KGB minders and leapt toward French police, shouting 'I want to be free.'
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