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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| Years active | 2006–present |
| Partner(s) | Elena Ilinykh (engaged) |
| Children | 2 |
Sergei Vladimirovich Polunin (born November 20, 1989) is a famous ballet dancer, actor, and model. He was born in Kherson, which was then part of the Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union. Sergei holds citizenship in Ukraine, Russia, and Serbia. He has often said he feels a strong connection to Russia.
Sergei started his training in gymnastics when he was four. At eight, he switched to ballet and studied at the Kyiv State Choreographic Institute. When he was 13, he moved to London to join the British Royal Ballet School. He won many awards early in his career, like the Prix de Lausanne in 2006. In 2010, at just 20 years old, Sergei became the Royal Ballet's youngest ever male principal dancer.
After two years, he decided to leave the Royal Ballet to work as a freelance dancer. This meant he could perform as a special guest artist with many different famous ballet companies around the world. He has danced at places like the Royal Opera House in London and the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
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Early Life and Training
Sergei Polunin grew up in Kherson, Ukraine. From age four to eight, he trained in gymnastics. Then, he spent four more years learning ballet 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.
In 2003, when Sergei was 13, he joined the British Royal Ballet School. This was a big step for his career. The Rudolf Nureyev Foundation helped pay for his studies there.
Dancing Career Highlights
Rising Star: 2006-2013
Sergei quickly became known for his talent. He won the Prix de Lausanne and the Youth America Grand Prix in 2006. In 2007, he was named the Young British Dancer of the Year. By 2009, he was a first soloist at the Royal Ballet. In June 2010, at only 20, he made history as the youngest male principal dancer for the company.
Critics praised his dancing. The New York Times called him "a fabulous dancer" with amazing technique. He performed as the Knave in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in 2011.
However, after two successful years, Sergei decided to leave the Royal Ballet in January 2012. He felt unhappy and believed his artistic spirit was fading. Later that year, he was invited to Russia. He became a principal dancer for two major Russian theaters: the Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre and the Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre.
Global Recognition: 2014-Present
Sergei gained even more international fame starting in 2014. He was shortlisted as a top male dancer in the U.K. In 2014, he began working with famous photographer David LaChapelle. One of their projects was a dance video for the song "Take Me to Church" by Hozier. This video was released in February 2015 and quickly became very popular online. It helped Sergei reach a much wider audience beyond just ballet fans.
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 from different backgrounds. In 2018, the company changed its name to Polunin Ink.
In January 2019, Sergei was invited to perform in the Paris Opéra Ballet's Swan Lake. However, the invitation was canceled soon after. This happened because of some controversial social media posts he had made.
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Polunin Ink introduced three new ballet productions in 2019.
- The first was "Rasputin," which premiered in London in June.
- The second was Romeo and Juliet, where Sergei danced the role of Romeo. He performed with Alina Cojocaru as Juliet at the Verona Arena in August 2019. Over 10,000 people watched this performance, and it received great reviews.
- The third production was "Little Red and the Wolf," which premiered in Moscow in December 2019.
Sergei also performed in many other places in 2019, including Dubai, Israel, and Japan. A special performance took place at the ancient Buddhist temple Ninna-ji in Kyoto, Japan. This show aimed to blend Eastern and Western art. Sergei wore a unique kimono designed by artist Kamida Kazumak. It had calligraphy from the Heart Sutra written on it. This performance was later shown on TV across Japan.
In 2019, Sergei was named "Personality of the Year" by the Danza & Danza Awards. The judges praised his varied artistic work and the success of Polunin Ink's productions.
More recently, Sergei has expressed support for certain political views. He faced criticism in Uzbekistan when a performance he gave in military uniform deviated from the planned program.
Notable Performances and Projects
Sergei Polunin has performed in many famous ballets and special projects:
- The Woodsman in Red Riding Hood (2019)
- Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (2019)
- Rasputin in Rasputin (2019)
- Spartacus in Spartacus (2014)
- Rudolf in Mayerling (2013)
- Des Grieux in L'histoire de Manon
- Aminta in Sylvia
- Solor in La Bayadère
- Albrecht in Giselle
- Nutcracker Prince in The Nutcracker
- Prince in Cinderella
- Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty
- Armand in Marguerite and Armand
- Knave of Hearts in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
- Basilio in Don Quixote
- Ali in Le Corsaire
- Frantz in Coppélia
- Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake
- Wolf in Peter and Wolf
- Slave Master and Shepherd in Phantom of the Opera (25th Anniversary)
- Special projects like the Dior Project and performances for the Russian TV show Big Ballet.
Awards and Recognition
Sergei Polunin has received many awards for his outstanding dancing:
- Prize Winner, Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition (2002)
- Gold medal and Audience Award, the Prix de Lausanne (2006)
- Winner, Youth America Grand Prix (2006)
- Gold medal, Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition in Kyiv (2006)
- The Young British Dancer of the Year (2007)
- Critics' Circle National Dance Awards for Best Male Dancer (2010)
- Critics' Circle National Dance Awards for Best Classical Male Dancer (2011)
- Winner, Russian TV-project Big Ballet (2012)
- Soul of Dance award (2014)
- Personality of the Year, Danza& Danza Awards (2019)
Acting Career
Besides ballet, Sergei Polunin has also acted in movies:
- He made his film debut in Murder on the Orient Express (2017).
- He appeared in the film Red Sparrow (2018).
- In 2018, he played the role of Yuri Soloviev in The White Crow, a movie about famous dancer Rudolf Nureyev.
Personal Life
Sergei Polunin is engaged to Russian ice dancer Elena Ilinykh. They have two sons. Their first son, Mir, was born in January 2020. Their second son, Dar, was born in April 2022.
In 2017, Sergei was granted Serbian citizenship. This was in recognition of his efforts to promote Serbia and its culture. He has also used his Instagram account to share his support for political figures like Russian president Vladimir Putin and U.S. president Donald Trump.
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See also
In Spanish: Serguéi Polunin para niños
