The British press called Sergei Polunin "the bad guy." Representatives of Russian newspapers gossip about the personal life of an outright rebel. And the dancer himself, who by the age of 28 managed to achieve heights in one form of art and began to master a new genre for himself, is simply looking for his own place in the world.

Childhood and youth

On November 20, 1989, in the city of Kherson, a joyful event took place in the Polunin family. A boy was born, whom happy parents named Sergei. Already at the age of 3, the baby was sent to a gymnastic school, where the teacher immediately appreciated both the plasticity of the child and the delicate ear for music.

After 5 years, Sergei's family decided to transfer their son to a choreographic school. A couple of months after the transfer, Polunin was already recognized as the best student. The first ballet classes did not arouse the boy's interest. In later interviews, Sergey admitted that he dreamed of an injury so that he would no longer dance.

At the age of 8, the boy is transferred to the choreographic school in Kyiv. Together with her son, Galina Polunina also leaves Kherson. To pay for the child's education and life in the capital of Ukraine, Vladimir Polunin leaves for construction in Portugal, and the boy's grandmother gets a job as a nurse.

The work of adults has not been in vain. At the age of 13, the young Ukrainian dancer takes a prize in the Serge Lifar International Competition. And a year later, Sergei moved to London to continue his studies at the Royal Ballet School. The teenager went to the UK already alone.

In a new country for himself, the novice dancer still did not allow himself to slow down. In 2006, the artist reached the final of the international competition "Lausanne Prize". The success and perseverance of the young man was appreciated. At the age of 17, Sergei Polunin officially joins the ballet company of the Royal Theater in Covent Garden.

Ballet

It would seem that the dream that Polunin aspired to since childhood has come true. But once setting himself the goal of becoming the best in dance, Sergey does not stop there. At 19, a ballet dancer is appointed to the main parts in productions. A hard-working boy from Ukraine becomes the premiere of the famous theater, and the youngest in the history of the troupe. With a height of 180 cm, a 65-kilogram dancer easily soars into the air, seemingly ignoring the law of gravity.

Such a brilliant biography takes a sharp turn in 2011. During the next rehearsal, Sergei leaves the dance hall and no longer returns to the walls of the Royal Theater. Newspaper headlines express theories about the unstable psyche of the dancer and illegal substances, the use of which Sergey did not hide.

The truth turned out to be more difficult. The decision to leave the theater matured with the artist for a long time. Therefore, in the eyes of Polunin, there was no surprise in the impulse. The young man is tired of the routine and injustice that the representatives of the ballet feel every day.

There was a lull in the career and personal life of the dancer. But not in creativity. An introverted man who devoted much of his time to ballet is close to former gangster Anthony Lammin.

The dancer and the criminal were united by the love of drawings on the body. For Polunin, tattoos are also a kind of art. Therefore, the artist is happy to help a friend open a salon on the outskirts of London and, together with Anthony, is developing the business.

At some point, Sergei decided that he had completed his career, but in 2012 the man came to Moscow. To move to Russia, Polunin was prompted by the desire to perform on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. The talent and perseverance of the young man instantly attracted the attention of Igor Zelensky, the artistic director of the theater.

Without delay and long agreements, Sergei takes the place of the premiere at the Bolshoi, while simultaneously performing on the stage of the Opera and Ballet Theater in Novosibirsk. Two years later, when the novelty of sensations was dulled, the artist again sets off for free swimming, changing the place of the main dancer to the role of a guest star.

Sergei Polunin in advertising "Dior Homme"

In search of new inspiration, Polunin agrees to take part in the filming of Hozier's "Take Me to Church" video, directed by David LaChapelle. The video was followed by a "Dior Homme" commercial directed by Bruce Weber.

The work in front of the camera impressed the artist so much that Sergey moved to Hollywood. Polunin set himself a new goal - to become a sought-after actor. The first works in a new field, like everything an artist does, are distinguished by their scale. In 2016, the documentary film "Dancer" was released, which tells about the life of a man from a young age.

Trailer of the film about Sergei Polunin "Dancer"

Polunin wanted to put special emphasis on the small viewer. Sergei believes that with the popularization of this art form, ballet will become more democratic.

In 2017, the artist made his debut in a feature film. In the film, the man played the role of Count Andrenyi. The artist admitted that he was worried about the lack of experience, so he spent his free time carefully studying the work of his colleagues -, and.

Despite the new hobby, the artist does not say goodbye to the art of dancing completely. Since 2016, the dancer has been a guest soloist at the Bavarian Ballet.

In parallel with the release of the detective, the world premiere of "Project Polunin" took place, where Sergey acted as a choreographer. The first performance took place on March 14, 2017 and included several excerpts from well-known productions: “Icarus. The Night Before the Flight" and "Narcissus and Echo".

Personal life

Sergey Polunin often expresses his own emotional attachment with the help of tattoos. On the back of the artist is the inscription "I'm sorry, tiger cub", dedicated to the dancer's unknown beloved. The tattoo is decorated with scars that mimic scratches. By the way, Polunin inflicted cuts on himself.

It is known for certain about the affair of the rebel with the ballerina Helen Crawford. The couple spent two years together, but after the girl's statement about joint children, Sergei ended the relationship. A year later, the man began to appear frequently in public with another representative of the ballet, Yulia Stolyarchuk. True, no evidence of a romantic relationship between the artists was found.

The artist dedicated the tattoo on the hand "Natasha". Young people met in 2015 at the rehearsals of Giselle. The leading party was assigned to the ballet dancer David Holberg, but the man was seriously injured. The main role went to Sergei, and during long rehearsals, feelings arose between the dancers.

Sergei Polunin now

In an interview for Vogue magazine, Sergey admitted that he dreams of making a film about a dancer who can no longer perform. It seems to a man that the psychological state of such a person will be interesting to the viewer.

Sergei Polunin for Vogue magazine. Source - Vogue official website

The artist plans to create a charitable foundation that helps talented children. Now the man is thinking about creating his own dance school. In the meantime, fans of the talented dancer are waiting for the onset of May 2018 - the premiere of the Red Sparrow spy thriller, in which Polunin played a minor role, will take place in Russian cinemas.

Sergey does not cover what is happening in his personal life. In May 2017, the press was flooded with rumors that the beautiful Polunin-Osipov couple broke up. Journalists spread the news that the ballerina left the novice actor for an unknown conductor. But fresh photos on Polunin's official account show the couple posing together on the red carpet.

parties

• 2011 - "Alice in Wonderland"
• 2012 - Don Quixote
• 2013 - "Badejarka"
• 2013 - Mayerling
• 2013 - Faun Wakes
• 2014 - "Manon"
• 2014 - Spartak
• 2015 - "Giselle"
• 2015 - "Ballets of Frederic Ashton"
• 2017 - "The Taming of the Shrew"

A short excursion into the biography of my favorite ballet dancer Sergei Polunin, on the eve of his performance with Svetlana Zakharova at the National Opera of Ukraine.

I learned about Sergey after watching a television project from the Kultura TV channel - Bolshoi Ballet. From the very beginning, this dancer impressed me with phenomenal technique and extraordinary charisma. He perfectly performed both classical productions and modern choreography. Moreover, in modern choreography, he looked wonderful, and this surprised me, because usually classical dancers find it hard to modern, and then they perform it crookedly. It was after that that I began to wonder who Sergei Polunin was.

Sergei was born in 1989 in the city of Kherson. At the age of 4, he was sent to a sports school, where he did gymnastics. According to Sergei, the skills that he received at this school helped him a lot in classical lessons, especially in jumping. At the age of 8, he leaves the sports school, due to the fact that he was absent from classes due to illness for 4 months, and during this time other children overtook him in results. Then Sergey studied choreography and improvisation skills for some time at the Kherson choreographic studio, after which he successfully entered the Kiev Choreographic School, where his teachers were E. B. Kostyukov, T. M. Martynenko (taught pair classes) and N.D. Pryadchenko.

After 4 years of study at the school, a video recording of Polunin's performance is sent to London, and as a result, with the support of the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation, he leaves for London to study at the Royal Ballet School. Upon graduation, at the age of 17, he begins work at the Royal Ballet in London and becomes the youngest prime minister in its history. At that time he was only 19 years old. In one of the interviews, Sergey admitted that he wanted to achieve this title a year earlier, he was a little upset =)

Polunin did not enjoy the privileges of the prime minister for a long time, at some point he was seized by a feeling of emptiness, because the goal was achieved, and the other had not yet formed in his head. In addition, the London theater tried not to let Sergei out of the country, and in fact he was constantly in one place, which greatly infringed on the freedom-loving nature of the dancer. During this period, Polunin and his colleague open a tattoo parlor in London, and he decorates his body with various tattoos. This atypical behavior for a ballet dancer has long been discussed by both critics and the press.

At the age of 22, Sergei decides to leave London and leaves for Russia, where in the summer of 2012, at the invitation of the ballet dancer, choreographer and artistic director of the ballet troupes of two Russian theaters, Igor Zelensky, he becomes the premiere of the Musical Theater. Stanislavsky - Nemirovich-Danchenko (Moscow). As far as I know, Igor Zelensky agreed not to enter into a permanent work contract with Sergei, so as not to infringe on his freedom. Upon arrival in Moscow, Sergei Polunin participates in the show "Big Ballet", after which he becomes a favorite of the public both in Russia and in neighboring countries.

As Sergei himself admitted, he hates rehearsals, for him it is monotonous and boring hard labor. His greatest delight is the stage and the live audience. And no wonder, because for an artist this is the main award. Now Sergey is 23 years old, and he already has a lot of experience and many awards behind him.

On November 17, on the stage of the National Opera of Ukraine, Sergey will dance in the Ballet "Giselle", together with Svetlana Zakharova. Ticket prices are sky high, but if you have the opportunity, be sure to go see this ballet genius with your own eyes.

Polunin does not like to get up early. Everyone who worked with him knows about it. Yes, he does not argue: “I usually wake up difficult, for a long time. And immediately - to the machine. His close relationship with drugs was mentioned in the press as many times as his difficult relationship with ballet. It is logical to ask how things are now and whether the reason for the late awakening lies in stormy evenings. “No, I don’t drink, not to mention stronger substances,” Sergey does not look away, and his words sound convincing. - Before the machine or the performance I take L-carnitin, after - magnesia. For such words, every Moscow zealot would have shaken his hand.

PHOTO RankinSTYLE Vadim Galaganov

When, at the age of 22, Polunin left the Covent Garden troupe, newspapermen and a deceived public concluded that the reason for leaving was problems with discipline and white powder. But that would be too easy.

Nylon and cotton hoodie, gabardine shirt, all - Ports 1961

PHOTO RankinSTYLE Vadim Galaganov

“It was not some rash act. I knew for a year and a half that I would leave. I had questions that I didn't get answers to. Why are dancers treated in such a way that at the age of 35 they are simply kicked out of the theater? Why such salaries? Why can't anyone afford to buy an apartment? No one, even the best ballet dancer at the Royal Theater, will earn so much in his entire career. Mortgages only! And I calculated then that the best football players in the world receive more money in two weeks than the artists in the Royal Ballet in a year, all together. For example, a corps de ballet receives $1,500 a month. Moreover, such a person works eleven hours a day, he has absolutely no life, he sees nothing. I'm terribly offended by the industry! (Laughs.) At that time, I constantly thought: why did my mother send me to ballet, why did I spend all these years?! Why did you try so hard to be as good as you could be? So that later you won't be able to buy a ticket for your parents to come, or your house? There were many questions. And so I decided: why should I suffer in this industry, it’s better to go to the cinema. ”

Cotton shirt, Thom Browne; polyester and polyamide trousers, textile and leather sneakers, all - Yohji Yamamoto

PHOTO RankinSTYLE Vadim Galaganov

A few years ago, Sergei Polunin admitted that leaving the Royal Ballet was also a powerful session of practical psychotherapy for him: they just get kicked out. I have lived in London for half my life, but I do not have citizenship. What will I do in this case?"

Sheepskin coat, zip-up shirt and cotton underpants, all - Dirk Bikkembergs

PHOTO RankinSTYLE Vadim Galaganov

Then Polunin decided not to run from his fears. He did not try to jump over his head, which in his situation is not quite a figure of speech. He did not prove his need for the stage, to kill himself in order to earn the love of managers and the public. He did everything to make the worst happen. And at the same time, he says, he was terribly surprised when nothing happened in response to his statements about his readiness to throw himself into the arms of the magical world of cinema. He slammed the door deafeningly loudly, and the phone was not bursting with offers.

Wool sweater, Dirk Bikkembergs; ballet leotards, ballet shoes, everything is Sergey's property

PHOTO Rankin

The film directed by Stephen Kontor "The Dancer" not only carefully examines Sergei's childhood and adolescence - thanks to these studies, it becomes clear that the questions that Polunin faced with the industry were inevitable - but also tells how the hero was looking for a way out of the impasse into which he had driven himself .

Wool vest and trousers, cotton shirt and cuffs, all - Ann Demeulemeester

PHOTO RankinSTYLE Vadim Galaganov

The meeting with mentor Igor Zelensky turned into not only work in the Stanislavsky and Novate theaters, but also the appearance of a portrait of Zelensky on his shoulder. Acquaintance with the ballerina Natalya Osipova - a categorical tattoo "Natasha" on the knuckles. “In the ballet world, we all know each other, even if we don’t know each other. Given Sergey's reputation, I was sure that I would never work with him, ”Natalia said in their joint interview with The Guardian. Having met in Milan at the rehearsals of Giselle, both were satisfied. “I felt that he was real, that he was the person I could trust,” Natalya said. “When I danced with her, it was one hundred percent real. I would like it to be always like this, ”Sergey echoed her. Before they had time to declare themselves a couple, the ballet world rejoiced - it was obvious to critics, fans and even functionaries: Osipova was able not only to cope with this rebellious temperament, but also to tame, directing in the right professional direction.

Silk bathrobe, Dolce & Gabbana; ballet leotards, ballet shoes, everything is Sergey's property

PHOTO RankinSTYLE Vadim Galaganov

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of meetings with Osipova and Zelensky in Polunin's life, but there was another one, no less important. The author of the idea of ​​"Dancer" and the producer of the picture was Gabriella Tana. For "Phelomena" with Judi Dench, she received an Oscar nomination, and also helped Ralph Fiennes debut in directing with the film adaptation of Shakespeare's "Coriolanus". It was Gaby, as Sergey calls her, who decided that Polunin's claims to a film career were not unfounded. With her filing, he ended up on the same set with Johnny Depp, Jennifer Lawrence and Willem Dafoe. From working meetings with idols, Sergei was delighted, but before that he had to tell in detail, without embellishment and special effects, about himself in the film "Dancer".

Mohair and alpaca sweater, wool trousers, leather derbies, everything - Ann Demeulemeester

PHOTO RankinSTYLE Vadim Galaganov

“At first I didn’t understand why Gaby was doing this. And then I heard her say to someone: “I believe in dance. It is important to all of us. I turn on the music and dance at home myself.” And then I thought: the tribes danced, we dance in clubs, we meet our first love when we dance, when we are joyful, we dance. It is very important. And Gabi is the kind of person who believes that dance and the people in it should be supported. She supported me and gave me the strength to do something for others.”

On May 18, the premiere of the film Dancer took place at the Pobeda cinema. The film was personally presented by the lead actor Sergei Polunin, a living legend of the world ballet, who has collected the most diverse titles by his 27 years - from the youngest premiere of Covent Garden and the scandalous ballet Bad Boy to a promising film actor.

Status attended the premiere of the film and tried to find out if there is a limit to the human dream and whether our hero has found his freedom.

The Dancer is a biographical film directed by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Steve Cantor. He told the story of the life of the most scandalous ballet dancer, whose ups and downs of life and work are watched by the whole world. Sergei Polunin is a Ukrainian boy from a simple family who achieved rapid success thanks to his talent, and in gossip columns he firmly entrenched himself in the images of a rock star of world ballet, a “bad boy” and a lone genius.

Sergei Polunin is a man of amazing destiny. Other ballet dancers can only dream of such success as he achieved by the age of twenty - having entered the Royal Ballet School at the age of 17, at the age of 19 Sergey becomes the youngest premiere of the Covent Garden Theater in the history of the royal troupe, and at 22 suddenly leaves from there, which shocks the whole world. Leaves England, abandons a successful career and goes to Russia in search of himself.

The film consistently tells about every step of the young dancer on the way of his creative career. About his childhood in Ukraine, about gymnastics lessons in the small town of Kherson. About moving to Kyiv, about how a mother believed in her son and knew that a big ballet was waiting for him. About parting and a new foreign land, a foreign language ...

The film is built on contrasts. From amateur home videos, we are transported to the world's best scenes, from the first jumps in funny leggings to dizzying pirouettes in luxurious suits, from tedious and difficult exercises at the barre to crowds of fans and bright spotlights.

But behind all this history lies a deep personal tragedy, and success in the profession leads to heavy internal drama. Sergei has a wonderful family, two wonderful grandmothers, but in order to continue his studies, he has to part with them at an early age, which ultimately played a negative role, because the support and presence of loved ones is of great importance. To provide education in a foreign and expensive country, father, mother and grandmother have to work hard and hard, and this ultimately leads to a split in the family. There are a lot of personal scenes in the film, conversations with his mother, frank interviews with his father, stories of London friends about what was going on in Sergei's soul at the moment of his break with Covent Garden. We are, as it were, observing the movement of life from the inside, into which the director allowed us to look.

Unique physical data, fast career rise, popularity and recognition - all this raises Sergey to the top of his dreams. What his mother wanted came true, for the sake of which she sacrificed family relationships and the childhood of the child. Indeed, having achieved fantastic success at an early age, the son practically did not experience the joys of childhood and youth. In the end, all this made the artist a prisoner of his own talent. “I did not choose ballet. It was my mom's choice. And I always hoped that I would get injured, and I would not have to dance anymore, ”this is how Polunin himself comments on this state.

A series of intense tours, commitment to the theater, loneliness, emptiness - all this leads to internal conflicts and a psychological impasse, due to which a classical ballet dancer covers himself with tattoos, leads the life of a rock star, misses rehearsals, gets into scandalous stories. And who knows how this period of life would have ended, because the world knows a lot of sad life endings, in the biographies of confused geniuses. But Sergei found the strength to deceive fate and start living anew, the way he wanted.

A magical dance that propelled a famous dancer to the pinnacle of fame and professional excellence turns into a hard and devastating fall. He loses everything, moves to Russia and starts all over again. According to Sergei, at first he was afraid to go to Russia, as it was clear from Western news that the political situation was unstable and international relations were tense. But when he arrived, he realized that everything is fine here and wonderful people live here, and there are problems and difficulties everywhere. Sergey successfully participates in a dance project on the Kultura channel, wins the love of the Russian public, begins working with Igor Zelensky, touring with performances and continues to look for his own path.

Each dance is a reflection of the inner state, it is always in development, always different and cannot be repeated. Perhaps that is why Sergei's classical ballet was fettering, since what he wanted to express did not fit into the strict framework of academic dance. It was during that turning point in 2015 that he, along with star American photographer David LaChapelle, filmed his dance in Hawaii to the composition Take Me To Church by musician Hozier. In this dance, expression, pain, despair, hope, an attempt to reach the sky ... This video on the Internet instantly gains popularity and almost 20 million views, the dancer receives thousands of reviews from all over the world.

After the Hawaiian video, the hero radically changes his appearance, shaves his head baldly, reunites with his family, and for the first time in many years invites his parents and grandmother to his performance.

Each dance is a reflection of the inner state, it is always in development, always different and cannot be repeated. Perhaps that is why Sergei's classical ballet was fettering, since what he wanted to express did not fit into the strict framework of academic dance.

“I would be lying if I said that I don’t like to dance this is the most pleasant time when you are at the peak of your form, soar into the air, jump - this is what you are,” says Sergei Polunin.

During this film, we lived with the hero for a large and important part of his life. It makes you think about the difficult creative path, about the price of success. After all, usually we don’t even know about the internal processes and states of the artist, his talent is enough for us ...

Now Sergey is at a new stage of his creative journey, he tries himself in different styles, genres, in different projects and directions. Got several movie roles. And he says that he really likes the shooting process, because for him it’s not even work, but just a game: “This is such a fabulous state, during which you feel like a child. I had to learn everything quickly, but next to me were such legendary artists as Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Penelope Cruz ... I didn’t even believe that I was there, next to them, but I watched how they were doing and quickly adapted. Soon Sergey can be seen in the film "Red Sparrow" by Francis Lawrence and in the film "Murder on the Orient Express" by Kenneth Branagh, based on the novel of the same name by Agatha Christie.

And the dancer promised the Novosibirsk fans that he would definitely perform on our stage. In 2014 he danced in the ballet Spartacus. But after this film, we will go to speak to Sergei Polunin, as a person who shared with us not only his talent, but also his personal story, thanks to him we have become closer to another human destiny.

“The main thing in this film is something good and kind, this film is about dance and about family, I realized how important friendship and close people are, who do a lot for you. This film is like a reminder of the most important things,” Sergey says about the film as a whole.

“This is such a fabulous state, during which you feel like a child. I had to learn everything quickly, but next to me were such legendary artists as Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Penelope Cruz ... I watched how they do it and quickly adapted.

- Sergey, did you find your freedom?

Yes, I am returning now to the intuitive feeling of life, I am trying to trust and rely on life, I know that it will arrange everything as it should. It seems to me that trusting life, space and nature - this is freedom ...

Olga Pavlenko