Van Dantzig's unusual combination of classical ballet and modern dance technique in his choreography attracted the interest of Rudolf Nureyev, famous Russian dancer with the Royal Ballet in London. He asked to be taught the principal role in "Monument for a Dead Boy", which he eventually performed to acclaim for audiences in England and the United States, proving himself an accomplished modern dancer as well as a classicist. He and van Dantzig forged a strong friendship, and he subsequently returned to Amsterdam with commissions for two new ballets, "Blown in a Gentle Wind" (1975) and "About a Dark House" (1976). Van Dantzig's book "Remembering Nureyev: The Trail of a Comet" lovingly details their twenty-five years as friends and colleagues.