"What Dreams May Come" Sergei Polunin & Svetlana Zakharova

Ballet: "Marguerite and Armand
Choreographer: Sir Frederick Ashton
Alternative Music: "Eternum Nocturne" by Gavin Luke
Performance Notes: Svetlana Zakharova's Benefit Gala, Bolshoi Theater, Moscow April 2013
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Born in Kherson, Ukraine in 1989, Sergei Polunin / Сергей Полунин is a Russian ballet dancer. Famous for his “once every hundred years” talent, he has incredulous elevation and impeccable technique. From an early age, he displayed glorious dramatic range. Home videos of him as a small boy improvising to Pavarotti are very foretelling. At age 19, he became the youngest ever male principal dancer with London's Royal Ballet company.

Ballet gained an unprecedented new awareness when he danced in Hozier’s viral video ”Take Me To Church.” People who would never have paid any attention to ballet began to watch the tattooed phenom. He is generally attributed with bringing ballet to the modern common man.

Sergei is a much sought after model and actor. Fashion designers love his breathtaking physique and brooding good looks. He has garnered only positive reviews for his acting. His appearances include Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of the Orient Express, the biographical documentary Dancer, The White Crow, and Red Sparrow.
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Svetlana Zakharova, People’s Artist of Russia, laureate of the Russian state prize, prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia, and étoile of La Scala. She was born in Lutsk (Ukraine). At the age of 10 she entered the Kiev Choreography School. Having spend six years in the class of Valeria Sulegina, she took part in the international young dancers contest “Vaganova Prix” in Saint Petersburg, where she was the youngest ballet dancer. Then at the age of 15 Svetlana won the second prize.

After the contest she accepted the invitation to go to the famous Vaganova Ballet Academy in Saint Petersburg. She skipped the second class and went straight to the graduating class which was the only case in the whole history of this educational institution.

Zakharova immediately drew attention to herself and six months later, she took invitation to perform a solo part in the ballet “Don Quixote” in the Mariinsky Theatre. When she was seventeen, Svetlana Zakharova graduated from the Vaganova Academy and in nearly no time she was accepted into the legendary ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre.
Svetlana was noticed by the outstanding teacher of the Mariinsky Theatre and a famous ballet dancer the People’s artist of Russia Olga Moiseeva. Under her guidance, Zakharova debuted as Maria in “The Fountain of Bakhchisarai”. Then she danced Gulnara in “Le Corsaire” and performed “The 7th Waltz and Mazurka” in “Chopiniana”.

But the most tremendous success was brought to her by the role of Giselle in the ballet of the same name. Shortly after the premiere Zakharova received an offer from Vladimir Vasiliev to join the company of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.

Having received her official ‘prima’ status at the age of 18, Svetlana continued her work for the Mariinsky Theater expanding her repertoire with classical and modern pieces.

At the same time she starts to receive international recognition. Her global fame is rapidly growing. In 2001, she signed her first contract with L’Opera de Paris for “Bayadère”. It was the first time in thirty years when a ballet dancer from Russia had a chance to perform on French capital’s famous stage.
Zakharova is on tour to every part of the world: New York Metropolitan Opera, London Covent Garden, The Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Teatro di san Carlo in Napoli, Vienna Opera, National Theater in Tokyo, stages in many cities of Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. La Scala signs a long-term contract with her and awards her with the status of étoile. It was the first time in the history of this great theater, no Russian ballet dancer had been awarded this honor before. She also takes part in DVD-recordings of “Swan Lake”, “Bayadère” and “Giselle”.

In 2003 Svetlana Zakharova decided to join the ballet company of the Bolshoi Theater. Famous ballet dancer People’s Artist of Russia Ludmila Semeniaka has become her tutor. Zakharova’s first work in the Bolshoi was the ballet-premiere “La Fille du Pharaon” by the famous choreographer Pierre Lacotte. A recording of this ballet was issued on DVD. Gradually Zakharova was introduced into every piece of the Bolshoi’s classical repertoire.


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