Up & Down

Boris Eifman is justly called a “choreographer-philosopher”. However, a much more subtle definition that accurately captures the aesthetic individuality of the Maestro would be a “choreographer-psychoanalyst”. Justified in his belief that through the ballet toolkit the creator of dance can access truly unlimited research opportunities, Eifman plunges into the unknown depths of his characters’ inner world and penetrates the most profoundly hidden areas of the subconscious.

The ballet Up & Down, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel Tender is the Night, has become the quintessence of the choreographer’s psychoanalytical studies. The semantic space of the performance, encompassed between two divergent vectors of the plot (the degradation of the talented young doctor and the social climb of his wife and patient), is turned into a field for surrealistic experimentation. With the help of innovative plastic vocabulary Eifman depicts the disintegration of characters’ consciousness by bringing their nightmares and delusions to the surface. The choreographer emphasizes rather ironically: the ballet Up & Down is not just a full stop but a big splash in his many years of psychiatric ballet saga.

The characters’ ups and downs take place against the background of the magnificent Jazz Age – the unstoppable feast of life; the era of freedom, sensuality and hedonism, masterfully recreated by Boris Eifman and his dancers.