Eifman Ballet - Russia´s premiere modern ballet companyFrom the home of the world’s greatest classical ballet companies comes one of the world’s leading contemporary troupes, Eifman Ballet. The company, which has critics around the world reaching for superlatives, is making its first Australian visit this August. The previous stages of their tours in 2012 include New York City Centre, London Coliseum, La Scala Milan, Berlin Staatsopern and the Bolshoi Theatre Moscow. Eifman´s 50 dancers come with strong classical training which The Maestro then moulds to express his style which – while precise and highly disciplined – is also expressive and deeply emotional. They are all young, slim, tall and acrobatic. He prefers exceptionally tall dancers with long limbs (the minimum height of the ballerina is 174 cm and the male dancers 185 cm) to create great lines on stage. "Not only the soloists stand out. Eifman’s dancers as a group infuse the ballet with a high level of constant energy…' Catherine Pawlick, Ballet-Dance Magazine 'I’ve seen this company ... before and I’ve always been thoroughly entertained. They’re very Russian, very dramatic, very theatrical, very emotional, very angst-filled, doing everything as full-out both movement-wise and acting-wise as you possibly could. There’s never ever a dull moment.' Tonya Plank, Dance Blogger, New York, March 2012 HistoryThirty five years ago, a ballet troupe provocatively named, “The New Ballet”, presented its first performance – justifying their title. In the previously stagnant creative atmosphere in the 1970s in Russia, works by Boris Eifman – founder and Artistic director of “The New Ballet” – were like a breath of fresh air. Eifman’s combination of themes; deep psychological exploration, philosophical ideas, fiery passion, audacity and dramatic intent were highly unusual for the time. Even more remarkable was the commitment the artists’ commitment. A ballet troupe dedicated to performing works by a single choreographer was a unique phenomenon in itself. Eifman's ballet theatre was geared towards a continuous creative process and each year produced new titles to add to its repertoire. After "Boomerang," which was set to rock music, came "The Idiot," which became a phenomenon in the Russian theatre and clearly defined the aesthetic goals of Eifman's ballet troupe: the dramatization of the art of dance, deep penetration into the human psyche, daring interpretation of the most relevant, or "taboo" themes of the time, and the creation of meaningful metaphors through movement. Eifman also became known for the elegance and powerful impact of the immense action scenes impeccably executed by the troupe's captivating corps de ballet. Eifman's repertoire helped create a special type of artist, combining dancing, acting, brilliant technique, and a gift for transformation. Eifman Ballet's latest and best known productions include "Tchaikovsky," "Don Quixote," "The Karamazovs," "Red Giselle," "My Jerusalem," "Russian Hamlet," and "Don Juan & Moliere", "Anna Karenina", "Seagull", "Onegin" and "Rodin." These ballets have brought worldwide recognition to already well-known and versatile artists of the Eifman Ballet such as Albert Galichanin, Elena Kuzmina, Vera Arbuzova, Yuri Ananyan, Alexander Rachinsky, Sergei Zimin. Today, a young generation of artists is realizing its talent alongside these masters. They include Oleg Gabyshin, Dmitry Fisher, Nina Zmieevets, Anastassia Sitnikova, Maria Abashova, Oleg Markov. Besides the talent of its soloists, Eifman Ballet also owes its success in large part to the incredibly disciplined and professional corps de ballet. Collaborating on "Tchaikovsky" has laid the foundation for a creative union between two extraordinary artists – Boris Eifman and set designer Vyacheslav Okunev, both of whom are now responsible for what is described as the "amazing visual impact" of the Eifman Ballet productions. |