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Ballet

Eifman Ballet's Anna Karenina: A Tale of Unconventional Harmony

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Eifman Ballet will perform Anna Karenina, with music drawn from Tchaikovsky's compositions, on December 8-10 at the NCPA, marking the first visit to India by a Russian troupe of such stature since the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Ballets in 1987-88. Unlike the earlier visits, which were made possible by Soviet socialism, the Eifman Ballet's visit will be limited to Mumbai, a constraint imposed by capitalism. The troupe's founder, Boris Eifman, has had a chequered life, much like the characters in Tolstoy's classics.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Eifman Ballet's performance of Anna Karenina will be the first visit to India by a Russian troupe of such stature since the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Ballets in 1987-88.
  • The current visit will be limited to Mumbai, a constraint imposed by capitalism, unlike the earlier visits which were made possible by Soviet socialism.
  • Boris Eifman, the founder of the Eifman Ballet, was born in Siberia and grew up in Soviet Moldova, where he learned ballet before joining the St. Petersburg Conservatory to specialize in choreography.
  • Eifman was permitted to form his own company, Leningrad New Ballet (now known as Eifman Ballet St. Petersburg), in 1977, but faced censorship and bureaucratic hurdles due to his unconventional choice of subjects and expressive style.
  • The end of the Soviet Union liberated artists, but Eifman's experiences serve as a reminder of the catastrophic consequences of that event.
  • Eifman's ballet Anna Karenina explores the question of whether it is more important to maintain the conventional illusion of harmony between duty and feelings, or to surrender to sincere passion.

Statistics:

  • Russia's Eifman Ballet will perform Anna Karenina in Mumbai on December 8-10.
  • The Bolshoi and Mariinsky Ballets visited India in 1987-88 as part of the year-long Festival of the USSR in India.
  • The Soviet Union saw ballet and Western classical music as a blueprint for the perfect socialist society.
  • Boris Eifman's company, Leningrad New Ballet (now Eifman Ballet St. Petersburg), was founded in 1977.
  • The Eifman Ballet's performance of Anna Karenina features music drawn from Tchaikovsky's compositions.

Sources:

  • [Source: The Times of India, online edition]
  • [Source: Wikipedia, entry for Eifman Ballet]
  • [Source: Wikipedia, entry for Mariinsky Ballet]
  • [Source: Wikipedia, entry for Bolshoi Ballet]

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