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THEATRE ONEGIN.ONLINE

body talk “My main goal as a choreographer is to explore the phenomenon of the Russian soul, as something special in art. Is it still alive, or can’t we find qualities, such as warmth and particular emotionalism, in people anymore?” says Boris Eifman, widely considered as Russia's greatest living choreographer

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INSPIRATIONAL DESIGN IS THE ULTIMATE LUXURY

KAMAL GILL THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED premiere of “Onegin. Online” , a ballet, at St Petersburg in end-March and its progress to the US is making headlines. Famed choreographer, Boris Eifman, whose musical scores have famously included Pink Floyd, uses two unlikely musical themes: Tchaikovsky and a Russian rock group Autograph in this play.

Unsurprisingly, there remains a great deal of excitement about the show Theatre lovers know it is notoriously difficult to obtain tickets for famed choreographer Boris Eifman’s work. No wonder then that Alexandriinsky Theater , which eagerly hosted the world premiere of Eifman’s new ballet, “Onegin. Online” , based on Alexander Pushkin’s classic novel in verse, Yevgeny Onegin, opened to a packed house

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recently. The performance is the only one in the city till the return of the award-winning St Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theater of Boris Eifman from a tour of the US, this summer.

Promising an original take on Pushkin’s novel and modern ballet, Eifman’s clever use of Tchaikovsky’s opera “Yevgeny Onegin,” and music by the Russian rock group Autograph has the theatre world agog. “Onegin. Online” is the third part of a trilogy of Eifman ballets based on Russian literary classics, having been preceded by “Anna Karenina,” based on Lev Tolstoy’s novel, and “The Seagull,” based on Chekhov’s play.

Speaking to the press at the world premiere, Eifman is reported to have said, “For me, it is very important to reflect the spirit of

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THEATRE ONEGIN.ONLINE

the time and the emotional world of Tolstoy or Chekhov. In my ballets, I try to create dance that is full of expression and emphasize upon the psychology behind human nature through movement.” To explore this issue, Eifman decided on a powerful new interpretation of Alexander Pushkin’s classic.

The story was originally set in the 19th century against the opulent backdrop of the Russian Empire, but in Eifman’s inimitable and perceptive choreographic style, he has set the classic in today’s world.

“I must confess that even for me, it is a great secret how a ballet grows from the first vague plans and is transformed into a real performance,” said Eifman. “I am very glad that we have got the opportunity to create a full professional archive and creative laboratory at our theater,” he said.

The Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg, Russia returns to the Orange County Performing Arts Center in California for its fifth engagement at Segerstrom Hall on May 20 and from 22 to 24. Eifman is clearly a favourite by those who thrill to his lavish, dramatic spectacles, filled to the brim with emotion, and showcased with beautiful costumes and sets.

Critics agree that Eifman’s ballet has revolutionized the concept of classical dance in Russia by taking the art of ballet to its highest–and most modern–level of expressiveness. The Los Angeles Times called the Eifman ballets “…dynamic, theatrical, visionary works that delve into characters' lives in the most exciting, probing, titillating and wondrous ways” In a revealing comment, Eifman has told a magazine, “The language of the body, as

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the most ancient form of self-expression, bears universally understood emotional and spiritual values. By turning to the literary original source, I make it my goal to reveal what is of concern to my contemporaries and what can be expressed only through the great art of choreography. I use my art to understand the secrets of the Russian soul.

Basing a ballet on Pushkin’s classic is one more attempt to express innermost spirituality through dance.”

He continued in the same vein,“I transported Pushkin’s characters to our times, placing them in new circumstances, more dramatic, even extreme, when the old world is collapsing and life dictates new rules. I needed that experiment in order to answer the question that troubles me: what is the Russian soul today? Has it preserved its uniqueness, its mystery, its attraction? What would the novel’s characters do with their lives today? What in the novel was just a reflection of the times and what was a sign of the destiny of many generations of my fellow countrymen?

INSPIRATIONAL DESIGN IS THE ULTIMATE LUXURY

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