North American tour summary

On June 25 Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg finished a seven-week tour across Canada and the United States. The Company performed in Toronto, Minneapolis, Chicago, Boston, New York, Costa Mesa and Los Angeles. This tour became one of the most important parts of celebration of the Eifman Ballet’s 40th anniversary.

On this tour, Boris Eifman presented the revised choreographic version of Red Giselle, a widely recognized production dedicated to the biography of eminent Russian ballerina Olga Spessivtseva, and Tchaikovsky. PRO et CONTRA, a new take on the famous Russian composer’s story of life and death. Red Gisele was performed in Toronto, Minneapolis, Chicago, New York and Costa Mesa. Tchaikovsky. PRO et CONTRA was presented to the audiences of Boston, New York and Los Angeles.

North America greeted Eifman Ballet, as always, with packed auditoriums. Each show received standing ovations. Theatregoers left numerous delighted comments on social media. For example, one of the ballet lovers from California, wrote on Red Giselle on Instagram: “Best ballet I have ever seen.” “Eifman Ballet never disappoints,” another dance connoisseur said. Tchaikovsky. PRO et CONTRA made a strong impression as well. “A must see for anyone even remotely interested in performing arts,” a theatregoer from New York concluded. Another internet user added: “I was blown away by the originality of the production, the unique choreographic style, the very subtle and intricate treatment of the theme, and the depth of emotions expressed in this ballet.”

Both performances received critical acclaim in Canada and the United States. For example, Chicago Tribune branded Red Giselle “a psychological thriller of epic proportions, ambitious in scale and boasting masterful execution of incredibly difficult choreography”. Boris Eifman’s story of Olga Spessivtseva was highly appreciated by Los Angeles Times as well and called “his most coherent work”. Musical Toronto in its review highlighted the uniqueness of Eifman’s choreography, calling it “fresh, innovative, mercurial, surprising”.

Tchaikovsky. PRO et CONTRA was also well regarded by press. The Dance Enthusiast, a website devoted to dance, described the production as “a jolting psycho-drama”. “Tchaikovsky. PRO et CONTRA supplies insight, compassion and emotional conviction. Evidently these qualities are still sorely needed in our times,” says the portal.

The Canadian and American reviewers never grew tired of showing their excitement for the highest professionalism of Eifman’s artists and their extensive performance capabilities. Splash Magazines wrote about Eifman Ballet soloist Maria Abashova who performs the main role in Red Giselle: “Her amazingly arched feet transport her into leaps, the endless legs render every fouetté and jeté a point of pride, the supple spine bows her backwards into yoga-like moves of astonishing grace.” Sergey Volobuev, who danced the Commissar in Red Giselle, was described by Los Angeles Times as projecting “a fearsome brutality and an exciting sensuality”. The dance of soloist Oleg Gabyshev, who performed the role of the Partner in Red Giselle as well as the title role in Tchaikovsky. PRO et CONTRA, according to CriticalDance “is one of the highlights of the ballet performance year”.

The reviewers paid particular attention to creative and astonishing stage design. Bynoe On Arts, the Canadian art blog, described the new sets and costumes, which were created by Vyacheslav Okunev for the new version of Red Giselle, as “exquisite”. Set design of Tchaikovsky. PRO et CONTRA impressed the North-American experts as well. CriticalDance called the sets by Zinovy Margolin and the costumes by Olga Shaishmelashvili “outstanding”.

“Boris Eifman is famous for his “ballet theatre” where his choreography goes beyond that of traditional dance. He strives to explore uncharted territories and to translate these new discoveries into beautiful stories on the stage. Eifman’s choreography does more than convey form and structure; it floods the stage with a whirlwind of ideas, emotions and symbolism,” Chicago Stage Standard wrote.

The Company performed at prestigious North American venues. For example, in Chicago, the ballets were danced at the Auditorium Theatre, which is the second biggest theatre in the United States with the capacity of 3900 viewers. The Company members also presented their dance skills at New York City Center (New York), Segerstrom Center for the Arts (Costa Mesa), The Music Center (Los Angeles) and others. The Eifman Ballet’s North American tour was presented by Ardani Artists, the producer of all previous appearances of the Company in the United States and Canada. ALROSA, one of the biggest diamond mining companies in the world, was general partner of the tour.