Eifman Ballet

St-Petersburg Ballet Theatre of Boris Eifman, established in 1977, first was created as author’s, theatre of one choreographer, which was a phenomenon for that period.Not having neither stage nor constant rehearsal base, with very small troupe, he managed to highly impress with the very first programme: those, who watched his play “Two-voices” with Alla Osipenko still remember this chamber ballet as a shock.

First performances were addressed to the youth audience. Ballet “Bumerang” became an audacious experiment. “New York Times” published an article titled “Boris Eifman – a man who dare” about it. The appeal to music of Pink Floyd, McLaflin,Wakeman (“Yes”) was a kind of rebellion and it’s combination with embarrassingly emotional choreography, free of any academical cliches brought Eifman reputation of “choreographic dissident”. The whole generation grow up with the memory of these performances. Creative works of this choreographer united wide masses with the ballet theatre. Today one can say that theatre formation is connected with spiritual upbringing of the whole generation of Russian spectators.

During the years of productive work Eifman created 50 ballets. A number of TV film-ballets were made on his performances, as well as a lot of TV broadcasts, devoted to his art.

Ballet troupe with unique plastic thinking was formed under the theatre’s repertoire. Actors, magnificently possessing of classical and modern dances, also have a gift of reincarnation. Being a creator of new dramatic school, Eifman defines ballet art first of all as a spiritual process.

Now the theatre, leading by Eifman, – is a group, successful both in Russia and abroad. It worn world’s recognition by numerous tours around Europe, Asia, America, Africa.

At different times many outstanding dancers worked in the theatre: V. Gannibalova, N. Dolgushin, M. Liepa, J. Markovsky, V. Mikhailovskiy, V. Morozova, A. Osipenko. Today a remarkable dancers realize choreographer’s plans: International Competitions Laureate M. Abashova, International Competitions Laureate N. Zmievets, International Competitions Laureate E. Kozachenko, Honoured artists of Russia E. Kuzmina, N. Porovoznuk, A. Sitnikova, Y.Ananyan, O. Gabyshev, O. Markov, I. Osipov, Y. Smekalov, A. Turko, D. Fisher, and others.

In his ballets Eifman refers to the main question of human being, aspires to penetrate into mysteries of human psyche. He is anxious about modern problems; he is excited by mystery of art and genuine magic, which reveal in his interpretation of fortunes of Tchaykovsky, Molier, Balanchin, Spesivtseva. Plunging in such a dark and frightful sphere as human psyche (ballets “Idiot”, “Killers”, “Tchaykovsky. Mystery of love and death”, “Don Quxote or a fantasy of madman”, “Red Zhizel”, “Russian Hamlet”, “Anna Karenina”, “The Seagull”), Eifman creates images of stage psychoanalysis. He aims to show an extreme state of the person, considering madness of his heroes not an illness, but capability to penetrate into other worlds. This helps ballet-master to broaden frames of his own imagination owing to the fantasy of heroes, depth into the most interesting spiritual and philosophical questions.

In creating his style, Eifman worked through many plastic systems, turning his theater into a creative lab. Choreographer doesn’t limit himself with the ballet only, the main for him is theatricality. His performances – synthetical shows, which open new forms of dancing.

The diversity of genres in his repertoire is truly impressive: chamber ballets (Autographs, Metamorphoses), ballets bouffe (The Mad Day or the Marriage of Figaro, The Twelfth Night, Love Intrigues), ballets-parables (Legend), fairytale ballets (Firebird, Pinocchio). Among his most recent works that have been already recognized worldwide are Requiem, Tchaikovsky, Don Quixote or Fantasies of a Madman, The Karamazovs, Red Giselle, My Jerusalem, The Russian Hamlet, Don Juan or Passions for Moliegravere, WHO is WHO, Musagete, Anna Karenina and The Seagull.