Exhibition in honor of the 45th anniversary of Eifman Ballet will open in St. Petersburg

The grand opening of the exhibition “Eifman Ballet. Only Love” dedicated to the 45th anniversary of the Company will take place on June 29 at 16.00 at the Sheremetev Palace – Museum of Music, a branch of the St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music (34, Fontanka Embankment).

The large-scale exposition, the main part of which is located in the halls of the Grand Enfilade of the palace, will immerse the spectator into the fascinating history of becoming of Eifman Ballet as one of the leading ballet companies of our time. Struggle for creative independence under Soviet censorship and entry to the international cultural space, painful work in the rehearsal room and experiments in exploring the secrets of the human soul through the body language – these are just some of the plot and semantic points of the anniversary exhibition project. The chronicle of the artistic and professional evolution of the Company unfolds against the backdrop of dramatic and fateful changes in the social life of Russia at the end of the 20th century. In this historical "setting" renowned ballets are born and artistic fates are decided.

The visual solution of the exhibition is based on the image of a spiral that spins the visitor in a frantic vortex of emotions and events and has become a capacious metaphor for indomitable movement, the fundamental principle of the art of dance.

The title of the exposition refers to Boris Eifman’s ballet Only Love, the first production of the choreographer for his own company created by him in 1977. “Eifman carries this feeling, this passion through the years, he excites the imagination, arouses thought and inspires both those who help him create new choreographic masterpieces and the spectator. Perhaps, “Only Love” is the thread that puts together all the stages of evolvement of the Eifman Ballet,” the well-known literary critic Tatiana Boborykina notes.

The exposition presents archival, as well as the latest stage and rehearsal photographs of Eifman’s productions, posters, scenography sketches for the Company’s performances, costumes from his legendary ballets and other items. Many of the exhibits are being shown for the first time.

The exhibition will be open to visitors from June 30 to October 23, 2022.

The general sponsor of the events in honor of the anniversary of Eifman Ballet is VTB Bank.