Eugène Polyakov Adaptation

Eugène Polyakov joined, at 10, the School of Bolshoi and became soloist in the Novosibirsk Dance Company (Siberia). He began at an early stage of his career setting choreographies: Variations on a Theme by Purcell (Benjamin Britten), Songs without words (Mendelssohn). In 1970 he put an end to his dance career but came back to the Bolshoi as a teacher. In 1976, he left Russia to settle in Italy. He became ballet master at Le Fenice, in Venice, where he created Francescada Rimini, and his own version of the Spirit of the Rose. He also revived Giselle for Elisabetta Terabust, Rudolf Nureyev, Cyril Atanassoff and Patrice Bart. In 1977 and 1978, he founded the company “Viva la Danza” and toured in Italy. In 1978, he was appointed Dance Director at the Teatro Comunale in Florence. Between 1978 and 1983 he staged: The Fairy’s Kiss, Nightingale (Stravinsky), Themes and Variations (Tchaikovsky), Rideau Réversible (Stravinski/Petrassi), Andante Pomeridiano (Richard Strauss), The Favourite (Donizetti), Computer Valse (Grossi), Goldberg Suite (Grieg/Bach). Eugène Polyakov also worked with the Balletto di Toscana, creating for them Correspondences (based on Baudelaire’s work), Grand cru, Sinthonic (Pergolèse), Five pieces instead of silence (Schumann), Les parcours d’une promenade (Philip Glass). In 1983, he was invited by Rudolf Nureyev as ballet master at the Paris Opera. In 1985, he took part in the creation of the “Ballet du Louvre” as the Artistic Director, where he revived Giselle. In 1992, he left the Paris Opera to take the direction of the Teatro Comunale Ballet (Florence). There, he mounted his own versions of The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and created The Lady with the Camellias, Cinderella, La Folie (Coralli), and La Ronde (music by Matteo d’Amico). He also revived some of Nureyev’s choreographies (Raymonda, Don Quixote) at the Stockholm Opera, the Berlin Staatsoper and the Scala de Milan. He came back to the Paris Opera in January 1996 as a ballet master. He died in Paris on October, 25 1996.