Boris Eifman's ‘Anna Karenina’: Powerful emotional charge of tragedy in a ballet

Russian author Leo Tolstoy had already attained fame with his book ‘War And Peace’, but he believed ‘Anna Karenina’ was his first true novel. Published in 1878, it has seen adaptations in theatre, opera, film, television and ballet.

Famed Russian choreographer Boris Eifman brings a unique taste of the epic literary piece to India, with a ballet to be held at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai from December 8 to 10. Showcasing the maestro’s distinct style, blending Russian technique, modern theatre and psychological depth, these shows are part of his company Eifman Ballet’s Asia tour, which also covers China and Vietnam.

The story focuses on the extra-marital affair between Anna, who is married to senior statesman Karenin, and cavalry officer Alexei Vronsky, creating a scandal in St Petersburg society. In his ballet, Eifman sets aside all the secondary storylines used in Tolstoy’s book, and focuses on the love triangle.

Eifman says that while author Fyodor Dostoevsky influenced his intellectual and spiritual world to a greater degree, Tolstoy remains extraordinary in his ability to observe human beings with surgical precision. He says, “Tolstoy penetrated the subconscious before the term even existed. In ‘Anna Karenina’, he reveals the psychological depths of a woman trapped in a pathological attachment, consumed by a passion that destroys her from within. This perceptiveness shaped my own choreographic language. Tolstoy trained my eye not to look at what people do, but at why they are compelled to do it.”

Eifman says that for him, casting is never about technical brilliance alone. “The dancer must be able to embody the life of the human soul on stage. For ‘Anna Karenina’, I needed performers capable of expressing fragility one moment and destructive passion the next,” he says.

One highlight of the ballet is the use of Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s music. Eifman chose fragments from Symphony No. 2 and No. 6, the Manfred Symphony, Orchestral Suite No. 1 and No. 3, among others. He clarifies, “Tchaikovsky is my favourite composer. The pieces were not selected to match scenes from the book, but because they reflected the psychological temperature of Anna’s inner world. When the music felt as though it came from inside the character, I knew it belonged in the ballet.”

Now 79, Eifman created ‘Anna Karenina’ three decades after he established himself as a choreographer. He explains, “I will not hide that I turned away from ‘Anna Karenina’ for many years. Tolstoy’s novel is not simply about an affair. It is about the terrifying disintegration of a human soul. To approach such material requires psychological maturity that I did not possess earlier in my career. Only after decades of immersing myself in the darkest corners of the psyche through dance did I feel capable of confronting Anna’s tragedy with honesty.”

Born in the Russian city of Rubtsovsk, Eifman graduated from the Kishinev Ballet School in 1964. He recalls, “Already at 13, I recognised in myself the ability to express emotions and thoughts through movement. Dance became not entertainment, but a language of the soul when words fail. I did not choose ballet; it became the only way I could exist.”

Having formed his own ballet company in 1977, Eifman has closely observed changes in the genre. He laments, “Sad as it may be, today we must speak not of evolution but of stagnation. The lack of new ideas and shortage of artistic leaders has led many companies to exploit the classical repertoire or endlessly replicate obsolete abstractions. Ballet requires fresh blood — brilliant figures prepared to help this art leap into a new era.”

However, Eifman also feels that audiences now crave for emotional authenticity. “The human soul remains unchanged. The fundamental emotional responses to tragedy and to comedy are the same as centuries ago. What has changed is the external environment. Today, people are overwhelmed with digital noise, yet are still unfulfilled. When they encounter psychological ballet, something real pierces through. Our art gives audiences a powerful emotional charge, a catharsis that stadium shows or the Internet cannot provide.”

This hunger for genuine connection has helped create a new audience that continues to inspire Eifman.

— The writer is a Mumbai-based music journalist