Sergei Polunin (31 years old), considered the most talented dancer of his generation, is coming to Romania for the first time. He will be a special guest of the 20th edition of the Transylvania International Film Festival (July 23rd – August 1st, 2021) .
Sergei Polunin will be seen, for the first time in Romania, on Thursday, July 29, at 20:30, at Bánffy Castle in Bonţida, during a special event:”Sergei Polunin Up, Close and Personal”. Also, the day before, from 19:00, at the Students’ Culture House in Cluj, the famous dancer will discuss with the public after the screening of the documentary “Dancer” (directed by Steven Cantor), an emotional foray into his tumultuous life.
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“We are very happy to be with TIFF on its 20th anniversary. For us, tradition and continuity are solid values. Our partners also have the same unwavering desire to carry on what they started, without giving up the standards they are used to. We want to bring dance to TIFF in the future, to support the great Festivals and to contribute to Romania being better connected to what means excellence and perfection in the performing arts”, said Gilda Lazăr, Director of Corporate Affairs & Communications, JTI Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria.
Sergei Polunin is teaching a masterclass at TIFF
Sergei Polunin will also lead a masterclass at TIFF! Details will be announced soon. Born in 1989 in Ukraine, Sergei Polunin became, at the age of 19, the youngest first male ballet dancer superstar in the history of the London Royal Ballet. Appreciated for his artistic genius, phenomenal technique and mesmerizing stage presence, the artist has stood out from the beginning on the big stages of the world. Considered the “bad boy” of dance, Polunin danced on the big stages of the world, and at the age of 19 he became the youngest first male ballet dancer of the London Royal Ballet.
Sergei Polunin also stareed in a few films
“Dancing is a game of extreme emotions and freedom of the soul, in which nothing is ever the same.,” says Sergei Polunin, and his stage performance and life confirm his words. Sergei Polunin danced on the stage of the Balshoi Theater in Moscow, La Scala in Milan, the Stanislavski Theater, the National Opera in Paris. He is currently a permanent guest of The Bavarian State Ballet in Munich and travels around the world with performances by Polunin Ink, the company the dance he founded. In 2019, he danced with the ballerina Alina Cojocaru in “Romeo and Juliet”. His most popular appearance is in the video in which he dances to Hozier’s “Take Me to Church,” directed by David LaChapelle, which went viral and garnered over 29 million views on YouTube.
In recent years, Polunin also starred in a few films like Murder on the Orient Express (directed by Kenneth Branagh), Red Sparrow (directed by Francis Lawrence), The White Crow (directed by Ralph Fiennes), and Simple Passion (by Danielle Arbid). Known as the “bad boy of ballet” on account of his rebellious style, his impulsive departures from renowned companies (including his first, from the London Royal Ballet, at only 21), and his controversial statements, Polunin is the subject of a revealing documentary by Steven Cantor, Dancer, which will be shown at Transilvania IFF on Wednesday, July 28, at 7 PM, at the Students Culture House in Cluj before a Q&A with its star subject. A sequel titled Dancer 2 is currently in production, it will be directed by Anton Corbijn and is expected to be released in 2022.