Tours in Russia

In 2021, the whole world celebrated the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky who wrote the legendary works Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Demons, White Nights, The Gambler and many others. As part of the celebration, Eifman Ballet presented the production Beyond Sin based on the great novel The Brothers Karamazov to the Russian audience.

The grandiose tour in the Russian cities started in Nizhny Novgorod. The performances took place on September 28 and 29 at the State Youth Theatre and were dedicated to the significant date, the 800th anniversary of the city foundation. Then the Company went to Kazan where in 2013 the world premiere of Boris Eifman's ballet based on Dostoevsky's novel took place. After 8 years, the production returned to the capital of Tatarstan and was presented on October 1 and 2 at the Tatar State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. On October 3, Eifman Ballet performed for the first time in Cheboksary.

The tour in honor of the anniversary of the great writer continued in Petrozavodsk on November 1 and 2 at the Musical Theatre of the Republic of Karelia. On National Unity Day, November 4, the Company opened the International Theatre Festival of F. Dostoevsky in Veliky Novgorod with its performance.

The Ural part of the tour took place in Chelyabinsk (November 16 and 17), Yekaterinburg (November 18), Tyumen (November 20) and Perm (November 22 and 23).

In the year of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Fyodor Dostoevsky, the ballet based on the novel The Brothers Karamazov was presented in 13 Russian cities 23 times (16 performances took place in the 45th season).

"The ballet psychodrama captures the attention of the audience from the first minutes. The auditorium is full. To the music of Rachmaninoff and Wagner, the spectators find themselves inside the events of the novel The Brothers Karamazov, experiencing together with the characters their spiritual tragedies."

Video by The International Theatre Festival of F. Dostoevsky

(TV program Vesti Privolzhye about the performances of the Company in Nizhny Novgorod)

(UTV channel about the performances of
the Company in Cheboksary)

(TV program Vesti Veliky Novgorod about the performances of the Company in Veliky Novgorod)

Sergey Volobuev before the show in Perm, November 22. Photo by Daria Zaitseva

"Experiments with light and scenery, complex choreography and emotional richness — all this is about Beyond Sin, the Eifman Ballet’s production."

"This is a bold modern interpretation of the classics and, at the same time, a search for answers to the same questions posed by Dostoevsky a century and a half ago."

"It would seem, how can one stage a ballet based on Dostoevsky's work? It is possible! The language of dance showed us the restless Russian soul and a storm of passions."

"A brilliant novel, but no less brilliant ballet. Thank you very much, Boris Eifman, for such a rendition of the book I love."

"The performance did not leave anyone indifferent, heated discussions continued during the intermission. In the final, the audience applauded standing and for so long that they wanted to let the dancers go, the latter did their best, emotionally and physically."

"The soul of the Russian people was conveyed in the language of the body."

"For our spectators, a performance of this level is a breath of fresh air. And with what gratitude the audience applauded, they did not want to let the dancers go... we will be looking forward to seeing you with new tours in our city!"

(audience reviews on the production Beyond Sin)

On March 5, a performance Anna Karenina took place in Svetlogorsk. The Company performed at the Yantar Hall concert complex, where in 2018 Eifman Ballet presented the production Tchaikovsky. PRO et CONTRA.

In April, Eifman Ballet visited Perm as part of the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the city and presented two choreographic hits at once: the ballet Rodin, Her Eternal Idol (April 6 and 7) and the legendary production based on Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina (April 8 and 9).

The ballet about the great French sculptor was also performed in Yoshkar-Ola (April 11) and Kazan (April 13 and 14).

After the performance Rodin, Her Eternal Idol in Yoshkar-Ola
April 11, 2022

"The meaning is in everything! In every moment, in every little thing: from gesture, head turn and glance to lighting, scenery, beautiful costumes, hairstyles, geometry of figures, objects on the stage, every spotlight. Nothing escapes the eye!"

"Here everything is like a whirlwind, a storm: the performance, the interactions of the dancers on the stage, the musical selection. Of course, such a Company could only appear in St. Petersburg, having absorbed all the beautiful and contradictory spirit of the city."

"In one breath — this is not a metaphor, the auditorium really froze from co- participation, co-experience, co-involvement not just in the great, but in the Great Art."

"An hour has passed since the end of the performance, but I can't come to my senses. Tears are still rolling in and my chest is shrinking."

(audience reviews on the performances Anna Karenina and Rodin, Her Eternal Idol)

Victoria Mokrousova, Artyom Lepkov and Dmitry Krylov in TV program Vesti. Kultura about the tour in Svetlogorsk

Pictures of the Company dancers from the tours in Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, Yoshkar-Ola, Kazan and many other Russian cities in the 45th season.