Renowned choreographer, and Artistic Director of Eifman Ballet for over 37 years, Boris Eifman talks about his latest work shown at London’s Coliseum…
Mr Eifman, how did it all begin?
Dancing first began in my mother’s tummy when I began making my first moves! I always new I should be a dancer – I went to dance school and always felt an urge to express myself through dance. You cannot be taught to become a choreographer, you have to be born one.
So where did your choreographic career begin?
I went through general education and professional education later on followed by a dance academy – I felt this was necessary in order to communicate with the world on a professional level. During my ballet school years I started to choreograph and with growing experience there was the realisation that I was a professional choreographer.
What do you like most about choreography?
Choreography is a very individual thing but for me I find it extraordinary to be able to share emotions with an audience that you experience on a personal level. To influence the way they feel is a unique feeling for me.
What would you say was your greatest achievement to date?
I have actively directed my company for 37 years: my greatest achievement is the opportunity for my company to remain one of the most creative and unique companies, one which continues to develop.
What are your upcoming pieces about?
Anna Karenina is the story of a woman captivated by lust and passion; it is the emotional struggle which is depicted in the performance rather than rebelling the story, showing what she went through.
Rodin is a performance about culture and the famous lover Camille, the passion of her relationships. It looks at the creative process and the emotions within this, and the relationship between two people.
Do you have a connection to these pieces? What inspired you to create?
I can personally relate to Rodon as I understand it on an individual level, about the artistic struggle, the emotional processes of a career, life and love life, and thousands more can relate to this too. Rodin is a huge success all over the world and I feel privileged to show it in London.
What’s next for you?
It is lovely to dedicate myself to a bit of everything! I want to continue choreographing, develop my company and a new generation of artistic elites and work on the Dance Palace. I’m planning to open a new theatre in St Petersburg called the Dance Palace: it will be unique. There will be three companies and centuries of Russian ballet – the nineteenth century, my own company and a new company of the twenty-first century which will be particularly quintessential and avant-garde.