On April 7th and 8th, the Voronezh Opera and Ballet Theatre hosted showings of Boris Eifman's ballet "Anna Karenina". Tour of the St. Petersburg Eifman Ballet was organised by the Directorate of the International Platonov Arts Festival.
"The tour of the St. Petersburg Eifman Ballet in Voronezh is an outstanding event," commented the acting director of the Platonov Arts Festival Ilya Skripnikov. – "The collective came to Voronezh for the first time since 1989, and the residents of our region got a rare opportunity to see the performance of one of the best dance troupes in Russia, well known far beyond the borders of our country. Boris Eifman is the creator of his own authentic project, distinctive style, the whole ballet universe. He is truly one of the world's leading choreographers, and it is no coincidence that critics call him "an amazing theatrical wizard." Eifman's ballet "Anna Karenina", which has already become legendary and has toured many countries, was viewed by Voronezh residents three times, and each of the showings was held with a full house and received loud applause from the public. This is the best reward for the work done by the Directorate of the International Platonov Arts Festival."
The showings of the ballet "Anna Karenina" became a bright and emotional event in the cultural life of the region. It is no coincidence that Eifman Ballet is often called psychological, and the productions are called "plastic psychoanalysis", during which the depth of characters and plots is revealed. "When the troupe rehearse with Boris Eifman, he very often extracts strong emotions from us, we must show them as brightly as possible – he wants us to act "over the edge", said Elizaveta Khokhlova, soloist of the troupe, who performs the role of Anna. – This is the style of our theatre, in other - classical - theatres such a manifestation of acting skills is not required, everything is rather restrained. In our theatre, the main thing is the psychology of the characters, our aim is to reincarnate in them for the duration of the performance and show their experiences and inner world."
Boris Eifman staged the ballet "Anna Karenina" in 2005, and the performance is still enjoying great success with the public. The production based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy to the music of Pyotr Tchaikovsky have received standing ovation in the countries of North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. More than 3,000 spectators viewed the ballet in Voronezh.