Guest Blogger: Boris Eifman of Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg

“You have to love dancing to stick to it. 
It gives you nothing back, no manuscripts to store away, 
no paintings to show on walls and maybe hang in museums, 
no poems to be printed and sold, 
nothing but that single fleeting moment when you feel alive.”

– Merce Cunningham

CELEBRATE NATIONAL DANCE WEEK 
April 26 – May 5 
Join us during National Dance Week for new postings in Center Scene by noted artistic directors, choreographers and experts. 

Boris Eifman's Onegin © Valentin Baranovsky

Boris Eifman

By Boris Eifman
Artistic Director, Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg
www.EifmanBallet.ru

The language of body is one of the most ancient. It fixed the memory of sensual life of our ancestors’ many generations, making dance a unique way to express the emotional world of the human. With plastic, feelings, movements of human nature and the most complex intellectual and philosophical ideas cannot be displayed. So, in the artist’s hands, dance is a very delicate tool that can be used as a means to cognize the secrets of being. 

Boris Eifman's Onegin © Gene Schiavone

I have been engaged in the development of human body’s expressiveness for many decades, using it to investigate the individual’s inner and mental world. One of the most important creative tasks for me is to restore the lines that always united the ballet and psychological theatre, but were lost in the 20th century, an era of choreographic abstraction. Psychology must be inherent not only in drama, but also in dance. Keeping this fundamental approach, I create major ballet performances that are distinguished by acute intensity of emotions, serious dramatic basis and deep philosophical content. Coming to our ballets, the spectator finds the most important thing – catharsis, a powerful emotional shock that cleanses the soul. The concealed, true magic of art is expressed with similar impact. 

Dance is a universal language of spiritual communication, rejecting cultural, national or any other barriers. Reflecting on the eternal themes of freedom, love, human passions, our company performs with equal success in America, Asia, Europe, and Australia and constantly evokes in hearts of the audience the most vivid emotional response. I am delighted that, owing to the support of Ardani Artists Management and direction of Segerstrom Center for the Arts our theatre has an opportunity to perform its art on this excellent modern stage for interested and appreciative audience in America, every meeting with which becomes truly memorable for us. 

Boris Eifman's Russian Hamlet 

Rodin Acclaimed in Russia!

© Gene Schiavone

© Gene Schiavone

News from Russia: Boris Eifman's new ballet Rodin has been nominated for four prestigious Golden Mask Awards. This is Russia's most coveted award for the arts and Rodin was nominated for Best Ballet, Best Choreography – Boris Eifman, Best Dancer – Oleg Gabyshev and Best Ballerina – Lyubov Andreeva. Center audiences will have the chance to see Rodin in its West Coast premiere May 3-5 as part of the International Dance Series. Segerstrom Center itself won a Golden Mask in 2007 when Diana Vishneva: Beauty in Motion garnered three.  

YOU’LL NEVER DANCE ALONE!

The Little Mermaid © Holger Badekow

 

Swan Lake © Gene Schiavone

There are 3,000 seats in Segerstrom Hall. Chances are, we’re not always the only one there solo. So if you love dance and ballet and for whatever reason cannot gather up your family and friends for a night-out, why not Join the Corps?  Members of the Center’s new Dance Corps  are subscribers to the Dance Series who purchase subscriptions for one. You’ll be seated with other Center ‘soloists’ who share your passion for dance. You meet new friends and see them throughout the year. You can find out more by calling the Center’s box office at (714) 556-2787 or visit www.scfta.org/dance. If ever there was a reason to pirouette with joy!

Ashley Werhun, John Michael Schert, Travis Walker
Trey McIntyre Project © Lois Greenfield

Rodin © Gene Schiavone



Dancers Descend on Orange County

The cast of the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg, Russia and the international stars for Tour de Force: A Gala Dance Spectacular are in Orange County and attended a welcome dinner at the Wyndham Hotel on Tuesday evening. Guests lapped up the signature Orange County weather and the dancers mixed, mingled and relaxed before their Center performances which start today (Wednesday) in Segerstrom Hall. Photos of the dancers, Center staff and donors are below with ids.

1) Bolshoi Ballet’s Nikolay Tsiskaridze with Sharon and Bruno Lebon 2) Guillaume Côté from The National Ballet of Canada and Desmond Richardson of Complexions Dance Company 3) Christina and Mary Harward with the Kirov Ballet’s Diana Vishneva, center 4) Sergei Volobuev and Maria Abashova from the Eifman Ballet 5) Eifman Ballet’s Diana Danchenko and Natalia Smirnova 6) Vladimir Malakhov, the Center’s executive vice president Judy Morr, Diana Vishneva and Sergei Danilian of Ardani Artists