Psychological Ballet Art: 
A Q&A with Boris Eifman

   
Photo Credit: Michael Khoury

The acclaimed Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg is currently touring the United States. The company's latest ballet, Up and Down, tells the story of a successful psychiatrist and socialite who loses his mind and soul to the glamorous, but ultimately corrosive, temptations of jazz age materialism. "In the world enslaved by money and dark instincts, a true harmony is impossible. The kingdom of luxury, in which the doctor immerses, turns out to be a perilous morass," says Artistic Director and choreographer Boris Eifman. The World Dances spoke with Eifman about the creation of his new ballet, his artistic inspiration, and the philosophy behind his work. You can watch a preview of Up and Down here. The company will be performing in California June 5 and 6 at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and June 12-14 at The Music Center.

 

Your ballets are often more introspective, if not darker, than many. What attracts you to making such contemplative works? And why do you think dance is a compelling medium for telling these stories?

 

Well, I actually don't consider my ballets to be dark or hopeless. But the truth is that art is not rose-colored entertainment. It must provoke the reflection and reach the deepest spheres of our inner world leading the audience to the catharsis. I believe that dance is a unique and magic means of exploring a human soul. And if the choreographer doesn't treat it as a mere sequence of empty movements, then this ancient language turns into a really powerful tool of psychological and intellectual research that all the scientists could envy. That's why our company is successively developing the plastic language of psychological ballet art creating the high-demand original ballet repertory of modern Russia.    

 

Is it challenging setting such deeply introspective ballets on your dancers? How do they learn the philosophical and emotional facets of this ballet? And, do you specifically select dancers with unusual emotional depth?

 

My mission is to "infect" the company dancers with my own creative ideas, to make them the co-authors and not the marionettes of the choreographer. Then we form one artistic body, and my stream of thought becomes their own. Also, I try to select dancers characterized by obvious dramatic gift and insight. Needless to say, finding such performers is a challenging task.  

 

What do you think will be your next undertaking?

 

I'm superstitious like everyone else in the world of art. When I start creating a new production, I'll be able to announce it. One thing can be said for sure: Eifman Ballet will do its best to overwhelm you with its forthcoming performance.  Read more here.  

 

By Tamara Johnson 

   

Photo Credit: Michael Khoury

 

  
Celebrating Peridance   
 
Courtesy of Peridance Capezio Center

Peridance celebrates its 32nd year as a pillar of the New York dance scene at a gala performance on June 6. The show will feature the Peridance Contemporary Dance Company and students from Peridance's myriad training programs, as well as performances by The Lim�n Dance Company, the Djoniba Dance Centre, and BAILA Society. The diversity of the gala's program is representative of the breadth and depth of the Peridance mission. The World Dances recently spoke with founder Igal Perry about his vision, his role in the NY dance community, and more. Tickets for the gala are available here .

 

How does it feel to reflect on over 30 years of dance making in New York?

 

You know, when I reflect is not when I have a gala. I reflected, for example, yesterday. Yesterday we had a little showing of our students who were graduating. They'd each been assigned to select a professional choreographer and get solo works from him or her. I was thinking, as I was watching them show their final pieces, about how far we've come, both in terms of training dancers and how we influence dancers in their development. I never think about it as a personal accomplishment. I always think of it as just a part of what I love to do, and how it fits into what I will be doing. When I see good results it makes me happy, but it always feels like an ongoing process. It's never finished.

 

The Peridance Capezio Center is now home to so many interrelated programs. Was it always your vision to create such a comprehensive institution? 

 

Absolutely, right from the start! If you found the proposals from when I first started, you would probably find a description of what we're doing now. It's always been my goal to create something that's cohesive and has all the elements in it. There has to be a good school, good professional programs in the school, and a professional dance company. And more, actually. We have a pre-professional company for teens as well and they do a lot of work! Also we're quite pioneering in terms of being at the forefront of what's really happening now in the dance world, rather than just maintaining what's traditional. 
 
By Tamara Johnson
Courtesy of Peridance Capezio Center


 

Scholarship Opportunity!
Kelly Leonard by Doug Gifford
 

The ABT Gillespie School at Segerstrom Center, which will begin its inaugural semester in September, is currently accepting applications for scholarships. The deadline to apply is June 14, 2015, and the application form is available  here. "The Center is committed to making sure that our education programs, including the ABT William J. Gillespie School, are available to as many children as possible. We look forward to engaging as many people as possible through our community classes and our scholarship programs," say Center President Terrence W. Dwyer.

 
New Job Openings in the Arts
 
Whether you're a dance teacher, an experienced stage manager, a dance marketing guru, a dance-biz whiz--or have each one of these talents--check out more than 50 job listings that may be just the right match for you.  Kinetic Arts Dance Studio in CO is looking for a Hip Hop Instructor and Eastern CT Ballet needs a Ballet Instructor. Mark Morris Dance Group is seeking a Marketing and Digital Media Manager.  Are you the right candidate for the Executive Director position at Milwaukee Ballet or the Managing Director role at Minnesota Ballet?  Charlotte Ballet is looking for a Company Stage Manager and Alberta Ballet needs a Ballet Master or Mistress.  Find these and many other dance-related career postings at  http://www.theworlddances.com/jobs/

 

 

 

 

   

TheWorldDances E-Newsletter Team

 

Publisher:  Karla Johnson

Editor:        Tamara Johnson

Producer:   Ester Rodriguez 

 
 
June 5, 2015
 
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