Sergei Polunin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sergei Polunin
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| Сергей Полунин | |
Polunin in 2013
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Sergei Vladimirovich Polunin
20 November 1989 Kherson, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
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| Education | Kyiv State Choreographic College |
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| Years active | 2006–present |
| Partner(s) | Elena Ilinykh (engaged) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Prize of the President of the Russian Federation for Young Cultural Figures |
Sergei Vladimirovich Polunin (born 20 November 1989) is a famous Ukrainian ballet dancer, actor, and model. He holds citizenship in Ukraine, Russia, and Serbia. Sergei has always felt a strong connection to Russian culture.
Born in Kherson, Ukraine, Sergei first trained in gymnastics. At age eight, he switched to ballet and attended the Kyiv State Choreographic College. When he was 13, in 2003, he joined the British Royal Ballet School. Sergei has won many awards, including the Prix de Lausanne in 2006. In 2007, he was named the Young British Dancer of the Year. By 2010, at just 20 years old, Polunin became the youngest male principal dancer at the Royal Ballet.
After two years, he decided to leave the Royal Ballet. He wanted to work as a freelance dancer. This meant he could perform as a guest artist at many famous theaters around the world. These included the Royal Opera House, Bolshoi Theatre, and La Scala Theatre.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Sergei Polunin was born in Kherson, which was then part of the Ukrainian SSR. From age four to eight, he trained at a gymnastics academy. After that, he spent four years at the Kyiv State Choreographic Institute. His mother, Galina, moved with him to Kyiv to support his training. His father, Vladimir, worked in Portugal to help the family financially.
Dancing Career Highlights
Starting Out: 2003–2013
After finishing his studies at the Kyiv Choreographic Academy, Sergei joined the British Royal Ballet School in 2003. He was only 13 years old. The Rudolf Nureyev Foundation helped support his studies. He quickly won awards like the Prix de Lausanne and Youth America Grand Prix in 2006. In 2007, he was recognized as the Young British Dancer of the Year.
By 2009, he became a first soloist at the Royal Ballet. In June 2010, at just 20, Polunin became the youngest male principal dancer in the Royal Ballet's history. The New York Times praised him as "a fabulous dancer" with "steely technique."
However, after two successful years, Polunin announced he was leaving the Royal Ballet in January 2012. He explained that he had become very unhappy. A few months later, he was invited to Russia. He became a principal dancer with the Stanislavsky Music Theatre.
Becoming Internationally Known: 2014–Present
Sergei gained more international attention in 2014. He was nominated for the National Dance Awards in the U.K. In 2014, he began working with American photographer David LaChapelle. He starred in a dance video for the song "Take Me to Church" by Hozier in February 2015. This video became very popular online and introduced Polunin to a much wider audience.
His life and career were featured in the 2016 documentary film Dancer. This film explored his childhood, training, and rise to fame.
In 2017, Sergei started Project Polunin. This project aimed to create new dance and ballet works for both stage and film. It brought together dancers, artists, musicians, and choreographers. The company was later renamed Polunin Ink in 2018.
In January 2019, Polunin was invited to perform in the Paris Opéra Ballet's Swan Lake. However, the invitation was cancelled shortly after. This happened because of some of Polunin's recent social media posts that caused controversy.
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Polunin and his company, Polunin Ink, presented three new ballet productions in 2019. One was "Rasputin," which premiered in London. Another was Romeo and Juliet, where he danced the role of Romeo. This performance took place in the Verona Arena for over 10,000 people. The third production was "Little Red and the Wolf," which premiered in Moscow. In 2019, he also performed in Dubai, Israel, and Japan. A special performance took place at the ancient Buddhist temple Ninna-ji in Kyoto, Japan.
Polunin was named Personality of the Year by the Danza & Danza Awards in 2019. The jury praised him as a "multi-faceted artist." In 2023, he received the Prize of the President of the Russian Federation for Young Cultural Figures.
Sergei Polunin has publicly supported certain political leaders and events. His public statements and performances, especially those related to political events, have sometimes led to controversy. In late 2024, Polunin announced his plans to leave Russia, explaining that he felt his "soul was not in its place" there.
Notable Performances and Projects
- The Woodsman. Red Riding Hood, with Johan Kobborg, Laura Fernandez-Gromova and choreography by Ross Freddie-Ray, music by Kirill Richter, scenery designer Otto Bubeníček at the Zaryadye Concert Hall in Moscow on 29 and 30 December 2019.
- Romeo. Romeo and Juliet with music by Sergei Prokofyev, with Alina Cojocaru as Juliet, choreography by Johan Kobborg, set designer: David Umemoto, lighting designer: Konstantin Binkin. World premiere in Arena di Verona, 26 August 2019
- Rasputin. Rasputin with music by Kirill Richter, with Alexey Lyubimov, Johan Kobborg, Djordje Kalenic, Elena Ilinykh, choreography by Yuka Oishi, set designer: Otto Bubeníček [cs], lighting designer: Konstantin Binkin, costume designer: Ulyana Sergeenko. World premiere in London Palladium, 31 May 2019
- Sacré, based on Igor StravinskyStravinsky's 'Sacre du Printemps', choreography by Yuka Oishi, World premiere Origen Festival Cultural [de], Julier Pass 14 July 2018
- Sartori, with music by Lorenz Dangel, with Natalia Osipova, Jason Reilly, Alexey Lyubimov, Thomas Waddington, choreography by Sergei Polunin, set design: David LaChapelle, costume design: Angelina Atlagic, lighting design: Christian Kass, director: Gabriel Marcel del Vecchio, World premiere London Coliseum 10 December 2017
- Spartacus. Spartacus by Y. Grigorovich and Aram Khachaturian (premiere – 2014, Novosibirsk)
- Rudolf. Mayerling by Sir Kenneth MacMillan (premiere – 2013, Moscow)
- Des Grieux. L'histoire de Manon with choreography by Sir Kenneth MacMillan
- Aminta. Sylvia with choreography by Frederick Ashton
- Solor. La Bayadère with music by Ludwig Minkus and choreography by Natalia Makarova
- Albrect. Giselle with music by Adolphe Adam
- Nutcracker Prince.The Nutcracker with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Prince. Cinderella with music by Sergei Prokofyev
- Prince Désiré. The Sleeping Beauty with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Armand. Marguerite and Armand with choreography by Frederick Ashton
- Main part in "Rhapsody" with choreography by Frederick Ashton
- Knave of Hearts. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' with choreography by Christopher Wheeldon — the first performer of the role and a participant of the first premiere
- Basilio. Don Quixote with music by Ludwig Minkus and choreography by Alexander Gorsky edited by M. Chichinadze
- Ali. Le Corsaire with music by Adolphe Adam and choreography by Marius Petipa and Pyotr Gusev edited by Khomyakov and Zelensky
- Frantz. Coppélia with choreography by Roland Petit
- Prince Siegfried, Swan Lake with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Wolf, Peter and Wolf with music by Sergei Prokofyev
- Slave Master (Hannibal) and Shepherd (Il Muto) in Andrew Lloyd Webber Phantom of the opera At the Royal Albert Hall in Celebration of 25 Years
- Faun and James Dean for the project Men in Motion by Ivan Putrov
- Dior Project
- Performances for the Russian project Big Ballet (Bolshoi Balet) on TV-channel Kultura (Culture): 'Narcissus' by Kasyan Goleizovsky, Bourgeois by Ben Van Cauwenbergh, 100 Celsius by Emil Faski, Armand from Marguerite and Armand by Frederick Ashton, Frantz from Coppélia by Roland Petit and Akteon from Diana and Akteon by Agrippina Vaganova
- Faun for the Bohemian Tune concert in Moscow with Gérard Depardieu, choreographed by Sergei Polunin and Alexey Lyubimov
- Lucien d'Hervilly, Paquita grand pas – premiere took place in Novosibirsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre, 9 November 2013. Choreographed by Igor Zelensky and Yana Serebriakova.
Awards and Recognition
Sergei Polunin has received many awards throughout his career:
- Prize Winner, Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition (2002)
- Gold medal and Audience Award, the Prix de Lausanne (2006)
- Winner, Youth America Grand Prix /YAGP/ (2006)
- Gold medal, Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition in Kyiv (2006)
- The Young British Dancer of the year in the United Kingdom (2007)
- Critics' Circle National Dance Awards for the Best Male Dancer (2010)
- Critics' Circle National Dance Awards for the Best Classical Male Dancer (2011)
- Winner, Russian TV-project and competition Big Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet (2012)
- Soul of Dance award (Russian Ballet magazine, 2014)
- Personality of the Year, Danza& Danza Awards (2019) (Italian magazine)
Acting Career
Polunin has also appeared in movies. He made his film debut in the 2017 movie Murder on the Orient Express. He then appeared in the 2018 film Red Sparrow. Also in 2018, he played Yuri Soloviev in the movie The White Crow, directed by Ralph Fiennes.
Personal Life
As of 2020, Sergei Polunin is engaged to Russian ice dancer Elena Ilinykh. They have two sons: Mir, born in January 2020, and Dar, born in April 2022.
In 2017, Polunin was granted Serbian citizenship. This was in recognition of his efforts to promote the country and its culture.
See also
In Spanish: Serguéi Polunin para niños
