Boris
Eifman

Jury member of Benois de la Danse

Benois de la Danse laureate

Benois de la Danse nominee

Boris Eifman was born on 22 July 1946. He studied choreography at the Leningrad Conservatoire (1972). From 1970 until 1977 he worked as a choreographer for the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. Apart from numerous productions he also created several ballet films: Icarus, Rococo Variations, A Brilliant Divertissement, Three Compositions, Blood-red Sun.

In 1977 the young choreographer had an opportunity to found his own theatre, the Leningrad New Ballet (currently St. -Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theatre under the directorship of Boris Eifman). Despite the lack of stage or permanent rehearsal facilities and a very small company, he managed to create a very strong impression with his very first production: those who saw his Two Voice Singing with Alla Osipenko still remember the shock from this chamber ballet.

During his life Boris Eifman has created 40 ballets, there exist a number of ballet films for TV based on his productions and many TV programs about his work. The diversity of genres in his repertoire is truly impressive: chamber ballets (Autographs, Metamorphoses), ballets bouffe (The Mad March Day or the Marriage of Figaro, The Twelfth Night, Love Plots), ballets-parables (Legend), fairytale ballets (Firebird, Pinocchio). His theatre also focuses on productions based on the classical works of the world literature. Eifman was the first who used Dostoevsky's novels Idiot in ballet. It was followed by the Duel (adaptation of Kuprin's novel), Master and Margarita (based on Bulgakov) and Teresa Raquin (based on Zola). Among his most recent works that have been already recognized worldwide are Requiem, Tchaikovsky, Don Quixote or Fantasies of a Madman, The Karamazovs, Red Giselle, My Jerusalem, The Russian Hamlet, Don Juan and Molière, WHO is WHO, Musaget and Anna Karenina. Today the theatre led by Boris Eifman enjoys invariable success both at home and abroad; it has gained the worldwide fame and continuously tours in Europe, Asia, Americas and Africa.

Boris Eifman was awarded the following titles and prizes: The People's Artist of Russia (1995); The State Prize of Russia (1999); The Highest Theatre Prize of St. -Petersburg “Zolotoy sofit” (1995, 1996, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2005); The award of the Union of Theatre Leaders of the Russian Federation “The Golden Mask” (1996, 1999); The Triumph award for the outstanding contribution to the Russian culture (1996); The Highest spiritual award for the children of Russia, the Order of Peace and Concorde (1998); Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France (1999); Krzyż Komandorski z Gwiazdą Orderu Zasługi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (2003); Order of Merit of the 4th grade (2003).

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