Sergei Polunin film Dancer

[balletsoccermom]

Saw this film Saturday afternoon.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and it shows Sergei in a light completely opposite to his "bad boy" image. Hope you all enjoy it!

[Jan McNulty]

Sergei Polunin was the star guest on a recent episode of the American Version of So You Think You Can Dance:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sbLbLPuXEs

[Fiz]

I've ordered it online. As a ballet friend told me "For a good sized city, there aren't many ballet schools or adult classes here and as for ballet companies visiting, forget it!"

[Fiz]

Eek! I meant to add that the film isn't going to be shown here.

[capybara]

Tickets are now on sale for the October 8th and 9th screenings in London:

 

https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=dancer

[Amelia]

 

What Sergei Polunin Thinks of His New Movie

http://dancemagazine.com/views/sergei-polunin/

[capybara]

And another one:

 

http://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/Sergei-Polunin-Dancer-Interview-Video-42379173?utm_campaign=mobile_share&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=popsugar

[capybara]

I think that this is another one but I'm losing count!

 

http://europe.newsweek.com/dancer-elegantly-depicts-ballet-star-sergei-polunins-rise-and-crisis-faith-499003

[Don Q Fan]

Is the film on anywhere in the provinces?

[ferrylights]

I think it's now available for purchase from iTunes, as I was able to buy it yesterday. Not sure about countries/regions.

[Jan McNulty]

[Amelia]

New Dancer clip:  

 

 

Sergei Polunin - Behind the scenes Take Me To Church

 

Edited September 20, 2016 by Amelia

[SwissBalletFan]

I attended the European Premiere in Zurich last night attend by Sergei and Stephen Cantor. In the opening Q&A Sergei was very thankful for the support production, his friend and mother for providing a lot of the video content, and suggesting that the 3/4 year edit of the footage was very much due to gaining trust with Cantor about what or why the movie would be about. Cantor said that 'in the main' it was a pleasurable experience and that it was 4 years of edits and discussions and he hoped we liked the film.,

 

Basically its an entertaining film which was rather like 'Amy' about Amy Winehouse  with the mix of home footage, detail from friends, and watching the best performance parts on film.

 

********what follows is quite a specific telling of the themes of the documentary, content, and thoughts...so may be spoilers**************

 

I must say in general I enjoyed the production, soundtrack and pace of the documentary, I enjoyed sitting there watching and listening to the views of Sergei from his good friend, father, mother and Sergei in his own words. After a bombastic starting scene focusing on press clippings with the word 'bad boy of ballet', 'genius', etc etc... the movie generally is an attempt to tell us about SPs humble beginnings, the difficulties of ballet, and that his parents gave everything for him to study in Kiev and then Royal. There is some family footage, and it is very much that SP believes he can keep his family to gather with dance.

 

Then the rise of him training, alone, doing more classes and hours than anyone, and being the best at RB, solo roles, promotion, intercut with some videos of smoking and drinking shots to show the bad boy. There is a lot made about the press coverage of SP walking out on Royal Ballet from the news etc... so far...so as expected.

 

It seems the documentary footage starts between Stanislavsky and dancing for Novo Sibiersk with ongoing discussions about the love/hate relationship with dance. It seems that the premise of the movie would be that the Take Me to Church video was supposed to be SPs last dance goodbye to the ballet world (which i didn't know)., and seemed  to me in my impression that this is why the documentary was made. ( of course we now know this not to be the case)

 

We then moved on to more dancing, which was then I thought it might end with a point about Royal Ballet/ New beginnings and things he realised about his career, and so looking forward.... but sadly not. Therefore comes the reminder of the Q&A in the beginning, 'what was the point of the documentary and its focus' and the reminder that SP is still dancing, is still young, and still very talented, this is when at the end there is a disappointment, as a bit of 'what have I learned?'

 

I think for SP fans it is great, for ballet fans in general it is a familiar story arc with some great footage of SP at his best. I think with some thought and with musings about how SP maybe rejoining Royal it could have ended with an energising 'new beginnings- phoenix from the flames-watch me go' and it would have been satisfying for the general audience and would have gained a huge audience for Sergei's future performances.

 

However the story arc is about talent, family sacrifice, the importance of family, family separation, and now family come together to watch SP perform. The words of his mother and father were touching at times, and they seemed lovely, could 'hit home' for parents of dancing children.

 

 

Note for her fans--- Natasha does not feature in the film at all.

Edited September 26, 2016 by SwissBalletFan

[JoJo]

Wow - thanks, SwissBalletFan!  I'm a big admirer, not just of his ability as a dancer but also of his views on a dancer's position in the hierarchy of the ballet world and how that might change.  Can't wait to see the film even more now!

[Geoff]

Note for her fans--- Natasha does not feature in the film at all.

This is interesting. Wonder why she doesn't.

Edited September 27, 2016 by Geoff

[SwissBalletFan]

This is interesting. Wonder why she doesn't.

 

 

It seems the film has been in edit for the last 3 years, much before Natasha was together with Sergei. On reflection, the only dancers to feature are his friends from his youth at RB. 

 

Also, SP's mother and father who feature a lot speak russian in the movie, so make sure you can read the subtitles

[annamk]

I saw the film this eve as part of the London BFI festival. It's full of fascinating video footage of Polunin's childhood, interviews with close friends and plenty of dancing clips. I thought it was a sensitive, touching portrayl of a hugely talented young man and the emotional price he & his family have paid in their pursuit of a better life for him. The footage reminded me that Polunin had everything: incredible technique, terrific stage presence and a beautiful physique.

[lollylamb1]

Saw this yesterday too, sat a few rows behind Natalia Osipova! Really interesting to watch, must see! They mentioned UK release date will be March 2017! 

[Angela]

The footage reminded me that Polunin had everything: incredible technique, terrific stage presence and a beautiful physique.

Very sad that he HAD it all. Some of it got lost on the way...

[VickyPage]

I saw it this afternoon, and Sergei sweetly showed up for a Q and A at the end with the director, even though only the director's presence had been mentioned on the website. I actually really enjoyed it, although I've heard some negative reports from others. I thought it was well cut, well assembled and very moving. There was certainly some footage I've never seen before, and there was a lot of hilarity (Valentino Zuchetti's story of shaving off one of Sergei's eyebrows while he was sleeping comes to mind!) as well as sadness. 

 

By the way, I seem to recall someone said that Natalia did not make an appearance in the actual film, although I can't seem to find the post currently. She is actually in it (although you need to be quite eagle-eyed to catch her). At the end, there's some footage of a performance Sergei did in November 2015 of various Jerome Robbins works (the one I remember is Other Dances) with Natalia. You see her from behind at one point and also in the wings adjusting her shoe ribbon. One of the reasons I point this out is that he said in the Q and A that it meant a lot to him that she was there when he was reunited with his father, mother and grandmother backstage.

[annamk]

Very sad that he HAD it all. Some of it got lost on the way...

 

 

I remain optimistic that Sergei has some memorable performances to give .... he is still very young and his talent is too rare and special for me to lose hope yet 

[capybara]

This isn't really 'information' but I am reluctant to start another thread........

 

I should start by saying that I have always admired and enjoyed Sergei Polunin’s dancing and have been looking forward to seeing the film “Dancer”. But I came away with very mixed feelings.

 

The film draws on good quality family clips from Sergei’s childhood, on ballet school footage, and on special interviews with family, friends and associates. It also follows Sergei to some performances up to about 18 months ago. Valentino Zucchetti and Jade Hale Cristofi (the choreographer of Take Me To Church) featured strongly and endearingly, the latter coming across as just the sort of friend everyone needs. Sergei’s parents were very likeable and had clearly sacrificed everything to help him.

 

Sergei spoke afterwards of trusting the Director, and that was clearly very important to him. The film undoubtedly has many interesting layers and engages one’s emotions. However, I was left feeling that Sergei could have been better served in terms of the narrative (which missed key moments), the content of his interviews to camera (could he have been encouraged to be a little more reflective?), and the presentation of performance footage to better advantage (we had glimpses of Mayerling and Spartacus but it wasn’t explained that taking the lead in these ballets is a very big deal and makes huge demands on the male dancer). Opportunities were missed to talk with Igor Zelensky, who remains a key support figure, and to press Monica Mason a little. [she said that some dancers are in everything and they feel the pressure. But, surely, the possibility of physical overload and mental strain are taken into account by Directors in the programming and casting choices they make, the rehearsal schedule and the pastoral care provided for dancers?]

 

The list of everyone involved in making the film was very extensive indeed but some inaccuracies  were not spotted by the large team. For example, on-screen dates and the voice-over giving Sergei’s age did not always chime, Dame Monica was referred to as the Director of the Royal Ballet Theatre, and it was wrongly claimed that people were clamouring to buy tickets for Sergei’s shows 2 years in advance.

 

Everyone who sees the film will arrive at their own perception of Sergei as an artist and about where they feel his thinking is currently.  I really hope that the whole process has been helpful to him.

[VickyPage]

I actually agree with capybara to some extent. Obviously I did really enjoy it, but as I said to a friend earlier I don't think it was helped by the short running time, which meant they omitted various key points (for example, the divorce of his parents was upsetting, but they had actually already divorced and remarried before the point shown in the film). Also, the timeline for filming meant that they had to put in various 'fake' scenes, filmed after the event and clearly at least semi-scripted, such as the one where Sergei asks Cristofi to choreograph Take Me To Church for him. The film also implied Sergei chose the song, even though afterwards he pointed out that David LaChapelle actually chose it. Things like this weren't necessarily hugely offensive on a first time watch with the excitement of a cinema viewing, but I worry that they might mislead fans and start to annoy once the DVD comes out.

[capybara]

Yes, I didn't mention the episodes which were, shall we say, re-visited for the film because many (most?) documentaries are like that, I think. Perhaps it's only when  one is familiar with the subject matter that the 'tricks of the trade' become obvious. 

[jamie14]

I have posted this into another Sergei topic, but I see that it should have been here. The Everyman cinema are showing Dancer plus Q&A on thur 2 March.

[Pulcinella]

Some Cineworld cinemas are also showing this on 2 March with the Q & A. 28 cinemas are listed currently.

[Blossom]

According to the Times article today, he will be performing Take Me to Church live and there will be a Q&A on 2 March at the London Palladium.. I assume most people know this already as it is pretty booked up.

[penelopesimpson]

According to the Times article today, he will be performing Take Me to Church live and there will be a Q&A on 2 March at the London Palladium.. I assume most people know this already as it is pretty booked up.

I read The Times piece but felt I learnt very little.  I am afraid he came across as a young man who takes himself too seriously - shades of Michael Jackson and saving the world.  I was at ROH the night news of his departure broke and I recall how upset everyone was, including myself who had been enthralled by his Marguerite and Armand with Tamara R.

 

However, this is some time ago now and he doesn't seem to have done a great deal since.  Obviously it is up to him what he does with his wonderful talent but, if I had a wish, it would be that he would just dance and forget all the psychobabble.

Edited January 29, 2017 by penelopesimpson

[bridiem]

I read The Times piece but felt I learnt very little.  I am afraid he came across as a young man who takes himself too seriously - shades of Michael Jackson and saving the world.  I was at ROH the night news of his departure broke and I recall how upset everyone was, including myself who had been enthralled by his Marguerite and Armand with Tamara R.

 

However, this is some time ago now and he doesn't seem to have done a great deal since.  Obviously it is up to him what he does with his wonderful talent but, if I had a wish, it would be that he would just dance and forget all the psychobabble.

 

I know what you mean, penelopesimpson; but the problem seems to be that he never really wanted to 'just dance'. So unless he works out for himself how to actually want to dance, he won't be able to use his amazing talent to the full. If that involves a certain amount of 'psychobabble' that's fine with me; I just hope it achieves the desired (by us anyway!) end.

[penelopesimpson]

I know what you mean, penelopesimpson; but the problem seems to be that he never really wanted to 'just dance'. So unless he works out for himself how to actually want to dance, he won't be able to use his amazing talent to the full. If that involves a certain amount of 'psychobabble' that's fine with me; I just hope it achieves the desired (by us anyway!) end.

I can agree with your sentiments, up to a point.  It does seem rather contradictory to have been gifted with an extraordinary talent and then spend your time rejecting it, whilst at the same time making your living from it.

 

I find it curious that he makes a film about his life and career (what there's been of it) at such a young age as if it is all over.  In not many years time it will be too late and he may spend the rest of his life wondering why he failed to use what he'd been given when he was in his prime.  Perhaps it is the melancholy in the Russian chactacter?  Just wish Osipova would give him a slap and tell him to just get on with it!

[alison]

And lifted from the page of one of the Picturehouse cinemas:

 

"The broadcast will start promptly at 6.30. Doors open 6.15.

DANCER plus Q&A and live performance by Sergei Polunin

UK premiere of Dancer, followed by a Q&A and performance by Sergei Polunin, live via satellite.

Broadcast live from the London Palladium – up close and personal from the best seat in the house – this exclusive event will connect Sergei Polunin with his existing fans as well as introducing him to a brand new fan base.

Directed by Academy Award nominee Steve Cantor, Dancer offers a uniquely personal portrait of a most singular man and dancer.

Blessed with astonishing power and poise, Sergei Polunin took the dance world by storm and became the Royal Ballet’s youngest ever principal. At the peak of his success, aged 21, he walked away, driven to the brink of self-destruction by stardom – his talent more a burden than a gift.

From archive footage of Polunin training at the age of four to be an Olympic gymnast, to intimate material shot by both his parents, in-depth interviews with family, friends and colleagues, and footage of his life on and off the stage now, we witness every step of his journey.

The film includes a special contribution from renowned photographer and director David LaChapelle, who in 2015 shot Polunin’s dance to Hozier’s Take Me To Church and generated over 10 million YouTube views within two months of its release online. Dancer is an unprecedented look into the life of a complex young man who has made ballet go viral."

[Colman]

How suitable is it for kids? Some ballet parents talking about going to it and wondering if they can bring their dancing children.

[Lindsay]

I think you may have remembered it the wrong way round penelope - the M&A with Tamara was after both Sergei and Tamara had left the RB.  They both came back for it. So no reason why he should not do the same again this year - I certainly hope so!