Eifman Ballet unveils plans for the new season

On August 14, Eifman Ballet returned to the rehearsing process after the summer holidays. The new, 42nd season opened by a tour in the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, on August 21 and 22, where the dancers performed Tchaikovsky. PRO et CONTRA as part of the 66th Festival Ljubljana. Below are listed the plans of Eifman Ballet for the 2018–2019 season.

Throughout September, the Company is going to rehearse Pygmalion Effect, the new production of Boris Eifman (the work process started in the middle of the previous season).

On October 7, the Company dancers will take part in Kremlin Gala “Ballet Stars of the XXI Century” at the State Kremlin Palace, which unites together principal dancers of the leading ballet companies of the world for a special evening. Eifman Ballet dancers are to perform the fragments from Anna Karenina and Tchaikovsky. PRO et CONTRA.

In mid-October, the Company will present Eugene Onegin as well as the revised choreographic version of Requiem (premiered in February 2018) at the Alexandrinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. In the second half of the month, Eifman Ballet will visit Tel Aviv. The dance devotees of Israel will have a chance to watch Tchaikovsky. PRO et CONTRA and Russian Hamlet.

In early November, the Company will perform Anna Karenina, Boris Eifman’s absolute choreographic hit beyond doubt, at the Alexandrinsky Theatre. These performances are an introduction to the large tour of this production based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy across France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The four-week tour will kick off in the middle of November and will cover Paris, Lyon, Nice, Nantes, Amsterdam and Antwerp, among others.

On November 15–17, Boris Eifman will act as the chairman of the “Ballet and Dance” section of the VII St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum. A panel discussion about the role of the ballet art during the Cold War and premiere of the screen version of the ballet Tchaikovsky. PRO et CONTRA are among the events.

On December 22, the long-awaited performance in Moscow will take place. The dancers will present the new program “Eifman Ballet. Christmas in Barvikha” at Barvikha Concert Hall. The guests of the event will see the fragments from Boris Eifman's best productions. On top of that, the Company will prepare a unique gift for its Moscow friends: during the show the first public performance of the fragments from the Pygmalion Effect will take place.

The Company will dedicate the whole month of January 2019 to the new production. The first performances of Pygmalion Effect – the choreographic interpretation of the myth about the sculptor who falls in love with the statue of a beautiful girl which he carved – will take place in St. Petersburg on February 5 and 6. By tradition, the premiere will take place at the Alexandrinsky Theatre.

Eifman’s interpretation of the archetypal story is quite unique. In the ballet, the role of the passionate creator is assigned to a successful performer of ballroom dancing, who faces the challenge of “sculpting” a girl of a humble origin into a brilliant dancer. It is worth mentioning that this ballet to the music of Johann Strauss Jr., known as “The Waltz King”, is to be Boris Eifman’s first comedy production over the period of almost 20 years.

In the middle of February, Eifman Ballet will bring Anna Karenina to Doha, the capital of Qatar, within the framework of Qatar–Russia Year of Culture. In the first half of March, the Company will travel to Tallinn, Estonia, to perform Beyond Sin.

In April, Eifman Ballet will tour to Caucasus. The Company will take part in the International Mstislav Rostropovich Festival in Baku (Azerbaijan), as well as will visit other cities of the region. The Caucasus audience will have a chance to see Rodin, Her Eternal Idol.

The big tour in Canada and the United States will become the highlight of May. It will span Toronto, Chicago, Costa Mesa, Berkley and New York. Tchaikovsky. PRO et CONTRA is scheduled for Canada, while in the United States the premiere of Pygmalion Effect will take place. The tour will last for five weeks.

In July, Eifman Ballet will visit Japan for the first time over the last 20 years. During the long-wished-for comeback to the Land of the Rising Sun the Company will visit Tokyo and Ōtsu and present Anna Karenina and Rodin, Her Eternal Idol.

The final chord of the season will be the Moscow premiere of Pygmalion Effect, which will take place on July 25, 26 and 27 at the Bolshoi Theatre Historic Stage as part of the International Chereshnevy Les Open Art Festival.