Parties, tattoos, depression, dance: the film “Dancer” about Sergei Polunin
Text: NASTYA POLETAEVA for Blueprint
May 18, 2016
Sergei Polunin, compared with Baryshnikov, called the new Nureyev, and on the impact on the fans, he can compete with Louis Garrel. Today the film company “Pioneer” releases a tape “Dancer”, telling the story of the pop star of ballet. We watched the movie and recommend it for viewing, regardless of your thoughts on its subject.
The documentary film “Dancer” is about the life of the ballet prodigy Sergei Polunin. Here in Russia, ballet is very revered – perhaps even more so than in the UK, where Polunin became a star. The “rock prince of the ballet” formulations are not applicable to the audience here (in Russia), and quotes from the interview with Sergei saying “classical ballet is dead” rather irritate us.
Inner drama
Command
Stephen Cantor, the director of “Dancer”, and Gabriela Tann are both Oscar nominees. Together Tana and Kantor filmed with the support of the BBC, and participated in its production in general. All the familiar and people close to Polunin participated, from the famous choreographer and former classmate Jade Hale-Christopher, to his mother Galina, and choreographer Igor Zelensky. Polunin, at the time of the decision to start filming, was only 22 years of age.
New Rudolf Nureyev?
People booked tickets for Sergei’s performances in two years in advance, applauded for double digit curtain calls, and waited for him at the exit from the theater. Considering that after Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov there was not a single ballet dancer of this scale from Russia and the countries of the former USSR, Polunin was immediately dubbed their successor. And even in a video for Dior, he appeared with a portrait of Nureyev in his hands.
Take Me To Church
A sun-drenched building, talc on the floor, a tattooed Sergei Polunin in beige tights dances to “Take Me To Church” by Hozier. At the time of this publication, the video has 19 million hits, it was viral. When Sergei realized that he was not cramped in the Royal Theater, but in classical ballet in general, he decided he could no longer live like that. He no longer had unconquered peaks, and he decided to end his career. To put an end to the most significant part of his life, Polunin asked friend Jade Hale-Christopher to give him a farewell dance. Kiev, then London, then Moscow – no theater in the world gave Sergei what those four minutes uploaded to YouTube did. Contracts (including ballet) were poured on him, people wrote letters to him and begged him to continue to dance – all this inspired him to continue his career.
Sergei Polunin and the popularization of the ballet
Like Polunin or not, the fact remains: his name on the poster “sells” the performance better than almost any other and attracts to the theater even those who have never before been there. Before leaving the classical choreography (which the ballet community still mourns about), he was a real rock star in the classical scene – and people reacted to him like Iggy Pop. Polunin’s active participation in related projects – glossy filming, fashion shows, advertising premium marks, filming the same “Take Me To Church” – is what he is scolded for the most. Things were said like, “narcissism can ruin,” and “not such a talent,” “the main thing is ballet,” and so on. But in fact, we will never know if the Royal Theater in London would have made such a ticket, and many other theaters, if they had not danced the “pop star” Polunin.
The concept of “I’m tired, I’m leaving” in classical art
“I wanted to go to America, but nobody would take me – they thought I was crazy,” Sergei says in the film about the consequences of his abrupt departure from the Royal Ballet. According to rumors, indeed, Polunin broke several negotiations with American theaters because of his reputation as an unreliable member of the corps. The fact is that ballet is a very conservative environment. Dancers very rarely move from one theater to another and certainly do not break the contract, being 22-year-old principal: this is a professional suicide. After these antics, a “bad boy” label was glued to Polunin, and he himself began to think what he could do besides the ballet. While out of plans – to open an agency whose managers would protect the interests of ballet artists, open several schools, film (two Hollywood tapes are already out this fall), and continue to dance, if there is enough time. The only big ballet Project Polunin, was very coldly received by critics, but, obviously, Sergei now has a completely different life and other priorities.
Why the history of Polunin has been controversial for nearly ten years