45th anniversary of Eifman Ballet
Exhibition Eifman Ballet. Only Love at the Sheremetev Palace
From June 30 to October 30, the Sheremetev Palace – Museum of Music, a branch of the St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music, hosted the exhibition Eifman Ballet. Only Love dedicated to the 45th anniversary of the Company. The grand opening took place on June 29.
The large-scale exposition, the main part of which was located in the halls of the Grand Enfilade of the palace, told 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 unfolded 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 large-scale exposition, the main part of which was located in the halls of the Grand Enfilade of the palace, told 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 unfolded 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 was based on the image of a spiral that span the visitor in a frantic vortex of emotions and events and became a capacious metaphor for indomitable movement, the fundamental principle of the art of dance.
The title of the exposition referred 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 presented 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 were shown for the first time.
The title of the exposition referred 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 presented 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 were shown for the first time.
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"Sometimes you really wonder how one can work so hard for 45 years, lead so many people, break many people and build them anew. Probably, it is really only love for our art."
(Boris Eifman about the exhibition Eifman Ballet. Only Love)
"The expressive means of the exhibition - energetic, catchy, sharply capturing attention - resonate with the nature of Eifman Ballet. The transparent structures become an important design detail. Arranged around the luxurious palace spaces, these structures form a spiral, a
symbol of perpetual motion into which Boris Eifman and his Company, once drawn, don't stop anymore."
symbol of perpetual motion into which Boris Eifman and his Company, once drawn, don't stop anymore."
(Izvestia about the exhibition Eifman Ballet. Only Love)
"Allegro molto vivace from Tchaikovsky's Pathétique Symphony merges with Saint-Saëns' Danse macabre and the choreographer's voice. Paradoxically, but this would-be cacophony sounds amazingly harmonious and draws you into the whirlwind of music, recalling the transience of life and the need for creative self-expression, similar to what is captured in numerous pictures. At this moment, you realize how much statics is in the lives of most people and how important choreography and metaphor are."
(from the review of the exhibition visitor)