HÀ NỘI — Contemporary ballet Eugene Onegin by Boris Eifman will be performed in Việt Nam for the first time in October.

Since it premiered in St Petersburg in 2009, the production has toured more than 40 countries, showcasing Eifman’s distinctive blend of classical and modernity.

Eifman is one of the few, if not the only, Russian choreographers to have maintained an active creative career for decades. Few of his contemporaries can claim such a distinguished record.

He is a laureate of the prestigious Golden Soffit and Golden Mask theatre awards and the State Prize of the Russian Federation. He has also received France’s Order of Arts and Letters, the title of People’s Artist of Russia and the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, among numerous other honours.

His works explore the darker and more unsettling realms of the human psyche, including I, Don Quixote, Russian Hamlet and Anna Karenina.

“I’m not trying to retell a story. I want to reach the depths of emotion that words cannot express,” said Eifman.

“Eugene Onegin is a production aimed at young audiences and has, in fact, attracted young people who rarely attend ballet performances at many of its venues.”

Eugene Onegin is a dance adaptation of Alexander Pushkin’s novel in verse. Pushkin’s characters are portrayed as modern men and women living at the turn of the century, amid a period of profound social change.

An unexpected combination of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s classical music and rock music by Alexander Sitkovetsky gives audiences deeper insight into Eifman’s original artistic vision.

Tchaikovsky’s sweeping classical symphonies collide with Sitkovetsky’s rebellious modern guitar riffs, creating a striking contrast that transcends words and connects performers and audiences on an emotional level.

Eugene Onegin will be staged in HCM City from October 21 to 24 at Hòa Bình Theatre and in Hà Nội from October 28 to 31 at the Cultural Friendship Palace. — VNS