Eva Sergeyenkova

[Buddy]

She's on her way, in my opinion, to being one of the world's great ballerinas, so I would like to start her own topic.

"Heart-Touching Expression" 

This is how I have her footnoted on my video list.

Saturday afternoon and again Sunday afternoon at the Bolshoi Theater, she performed Swan Lake. Her partners were Artem Ovcharenko and Semyon Chudin. A video clip has been posted of her White Swan duet along with some other very brief ones. (Thanks to Sophia at Dansomanie for finding the source). 

Once again she was quite remarkable. 

At 18 years old, still in the Bolshoi Corps de Ballet, she debuted her Swan Lake, January 14, with Artemy Belyakov. 

About a week later she was promoted to First Soloist.

A discussion about her at Ballet Alert! was started here (beginning at January 15) :

https://balletalert.invisionzone.com/topic/46475-bolshoi-20212022-season/

Her dramatic and artistic maturity are truly remarkable for her very young age. Her artistic future will hopefully be equally remarkable to follow.

Added: After more viewing of her White Swan duet I'm noticing a wonderful ability to create shapes and motion. What could easily become highly exaggerated is somehow formed into totally one-of-a-kind imagery of outstanding creation. 
 

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by Buddy
spelling correction(s) and "Added:"

[Buddy]

I guess that the main comment that I can make, when descriptions seem limiting, is about how many times I actually watch a filmed performance and how it makes me feel.

At the moment I'm riveted to Eva Sergeyenkova's White Swan duet. I've watched it over ten times.

One thing that's special is that I consider this duet to be the 'essence' of the entire work when the Mariinsky performs it. When the Bolshoi performs it, it remains very important, but it also seems part of a continuum, of a complete story being told. In Eva Sergeyenkova's interpretation, more like the Mariinsky's, it seems to be the essence. It stands alone as the overriding statement.

I sometimes try not to define this sort of thing, because I've then committed myself to a description that I feel compelled to stand by. For the moment, I feel that Eva Sergeyenkova is growing so fast artistically that yesterday's comments and yesterday's performances just aren't as important. Also, there's always the new insights and the new effects of the layers of things that she's doing.

So I can write a few comments about what I currently see and feel, but keeping in mind that by tomorrow she may have moved on. In this White Swan duet what remains dominant for me is her intentional structuring of images. She amplifies them. She sometimes takes them to their physical limits, but for the purpose of conveying something deeply felt. I also notice her ability to reach out to her physical and expressive boundaries and then snap back to a more centered place, a place of calm and embrace. In addition, she has an inner 'soulfulness' and an inner searching for substance and a way to express all this.

Most important is her remarkable, beautiful and 'soulful' ability to accomplish what she does.

 

Added: Semyon Chudin, her partner, seems as sensitively attuned as I've ever seen him.
 

  

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by Buddy
word changes and "Added:"

[Buddy]

About two weeks ago she performed Diamonds with Semyon Chudin. I've watched a video clip quite a few times.

What continues to be most impressive is her outstanding maturity and her dramatic nuancing, both emotionally and physically. That she can create such developed characters and imagery at her very young age is almost amazing.

Her emotional expression is more contained than that of the closely related Olga Smirnova, whom I consider to be a reference point and standard for this kind of excellence. They also both come for very similar artistic backgrounds. 

Emotion is perhaps most noticeable in facial expression, but also in the subtleties of other physical gestures. It's more outwardly shown by Olga Smirnova in her facial expression. With Eva Sergeyenkova the physical gesturing is much more animated, but, very interestingly, the overall effect is more contained and subtle because of her dominant and, I would say brilliant, use of nuancing.

It's also impressive to observe her effect on her partners. Again I've not seen Semyon Chudin more committed. It's probably his artistic and poetic growth as well as her effect, but he seems so intuned to what she does and so committed to reinforcing, complimenting, responding to and highlighting her every gesture.   

[Buddy]

Eva Sergeyenkova has been promoted from First Soloist to Leading Soloist, one step away from Principal. Congratulations !  Her ascent has been as rapid as her artistic development. I think that there's little doubt that she'll be the next Bolshoi Principal Ballerina.

An active and kind member of BalletAlert! sent me the most recent video of  her performing the Rose Adagio from The Sleeping Beauty. Thank you very much.

In contrast to all the technical challenges, turns, spins, balances, she's as delicate and vibrantly dreamlike as I've yet seen her. 

Her opening  jumps have a wonderful, linear airiness, true of the entire performance. She has beautifully long lines, very noteworthy for a not very tall person.

She once again shows how adaptable she is, presenting a completely new and finely developed character portrayal and nuancing of expression.

She has a floating animation of her legs and arms in her jumps.

Her vibrant face communicates with her partners and the audience while at the same time being immersed in the dreaminess her of her character.

She has lovely classical sculpture of her arms and lovely hands. Lovely lines.

 

Throughout she seems to float.

For a moment one of the four princes actually looked delighted to be dancing with her. I think that this might sum up her entire performance.

 

Added:

"But that's another side to this life
I've been leadin'
But that's another side to this life"

(by Fred Neil)

The Good Side.  🙂

 

Edited June 9, 2022 by Buddy
Added

[ECat]

@Buddy You and I both are fans of this lovely dancer. Congratulations to Eva on her promotion!!! I was so impressed with her Rose Adagio as it demands precise technique and strength. In my opinion, she has great control over her flexible feet and hyperextended legs which allows her to excel in various roles. 

 

I am very excited about both Eva and Elizaveta Kokoreva. The Bolshoi needs to retain Bolshoi-trained dancers at high levels. I do love the Vaganova imports and the Bolshoi style must be preserved as well. The soloist levels are lacking men at the moment.  I'm looking forward to seeing some growth in that area.

[Buddy]

21 hours ago, ECat said:

@Buddy You and I both are fans of this lovely dancer. Congratulations to Eva on her promotion!!! I was so impressed with her Rose Adagio as it demands precise technique and strength. In my opinion, she has great control over her flexible feet and hyperextended legs which allows her to excel in various roles. 

 

I am very excited about both Eva and Elizaveta Kokoreva. The Bolshoi needs to retain Bolshoi-trained dancers at high levels. I do love the Vaganova imports and the Bolshoi style must be preserved as well. The soloist levels are lacking men at the moment.  I'm looking forward to seeing some growth in that area.

I often view the Rose Adagio, ECat, as a series of technical challenges, usually preferring the beautiful final act duet, but she makes it absolutely dreamlike from beginning to end.

I can stay quite happily stuck in her opening jumps. Once again, the word I use is 'floats.' That's what she does. Her back leg at times suspended in motion, she lands and her feet immediately start to flutter as she moves in the opposite direction. This seems so typical of her entire performance. 

She never seems to completely touch the ground, both in physicality and in aura.

[ECat]

Well said @Buddy! I was especially impressed with her double turn in second toward the end. I am looking forward to witnessing the trajectory of her career.

[Buddy]

On 6/10/2022 at 5:06 PM, ECat said:

I am looking forward to witnessing the trajectory of her career.

"The trajectory of her career," indeed, ECat.

For me to write about Eva Sergeyenkova is like trying to describe the air.

She seems to grow and change with each new performance, reveal something new with each viewing. The one thing that remains constant is that she amazes. For me, at this point in time, she’s almost on another planet. Only Olga Smirnova affects me in a similar way.

So I return to another viewing of her White Swan duet. Her images are almost spellbinding, both in sculpture and in motion. They are also stand-alone works of museum quality art. Her ‘persona,’ the identity that she describes with her artistry, is remarkable. At a very young age she already has the capacity to be a Poetic and Artistic Wonder.

 

[Buddy]

To rely on description can sometimes reduce the effect. So a fulfilling approach can be to sit back and simply take it all in without trying to explain. With Eva Sergeyenkova, this works very well for me, anyway.

Since we are intellectual beings and because it makes it more tangible, we will of course also try to explain.

A major part of what Eva Sergeyenkova does, for me, remains beyond explanation and definition. It’s her character. Who is she ?  She has a very powerful presence that I can’t define and it’s the source of all that she does.

As far as physical detail is concerned, one key to her remarkable artistry is Invention, but this would seem to be too unfeeling a word. There’s heart and soul at the core. For instance, in the invention of shapes, the interweaving of brilliant abstraction and deep emotion.

It all seems so natural, yet it would appear that an immense amount of thought and preparation are involved.

Her abstract beauty and invention are brilliant, perhaps even genius, and fascinating. Her depth of character and feeling are the basis for art and expression at its most Embraceable. 

 

Edited July 26, 2022 by Buddy
gramar correction

[Buddy]

Once again I find myself wanting to write about Eva Sergeyenkova because, quite simply, she’s the Most Interesting ballet artist that I follow at the moment. Olga Smirnova could be another, but there’s no new video. She should become even more fascinating than she has been, but we may have to wait to get a view of it.

From recent video clips of Eva Sergeyenkova, mainly her remarkable White Swan duet, which I consider a primary reference for the entire art form, she is remarkable. What attracts me most at the moment is her detail. For one thing, she creates shapes and motions that are one-of-a-kind masterpieces. Not only are they original, but they’re brilliantly crafted and beautiful. They work extremely well. Swan Lake becomes a canvas, as it does for many of the world’s greatest ballerinas, to create their own personal wonder.

This is performed against a character backdrop of compelling imagery and feeling. She has a goddess-like surety, an undefinable depth, and a breathtaking, emotional loveliness.

And let not forget her age !  She’s only 18 or 19.

So I’ll return again briefly to what captures my interest most at the moment and that’s detail. The shapes that she forms with her arms and hands, for instance, vary from abstract compositions of Picasso-like interest to statements of pure emotion. The forming of these is a journey that’s equally embracing. And, above all, it ties together seamlessly and compellingly.   

Catch her now while you can because tomorrow she may be inhabiting some other different but equally wondrous universe of ballet artistry.

 

[Buddy]

And please allow me one more, which I overlooked yesterday. The shapes that she forms with her entire body are statements of the highest artistry and emotional content.

What about Genius ?  One thing that’s very noticeable and describable is her craftsmanship. This is where the concept of possible genius is perhaps most visible. It’s not the use of her feminine attraction, her beauty of motion or her inner vision which are much harder to define as greatness, but her physical structuring, the placement and/or shapes of her hands, arms and head, for instance. It’s a structural craftsmanship that’s just as visible as the composition of a Michelangelo or the brushstroke of a Rembrandt.

[Buddy]

Well, here’s what the fuss is about. It’s what I’ve been writing about and watching for over a week. It’s her White Swan duet with Semyon Chudin photographed from quite a distance. There’s a much better non-official filming on the internet, but this one is from her Instagram site so I’m posting it. What’s missing because of the long distance is the detail which is extremely important, but anything that hints at what I feel and believe is the wonderfulness of this performance is much better than nothing.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CgdSG0StIuI/?hl=en

[Buddy]

I’d like to include this one now because I think that it gives a much better sense of her use of detail, which the previous Swan Lake duet video doesn’t because of the large distance away that it was filmed. This is a Paquita excerpt from about a year-and-a-half ago. I would call attention to the very expressive, highly artistic and inventive use of her hands, arms and to a more limited extent, her head. Her facial expression isn’t nearly as developed as in the Swan Lake video, which can’t really be seen. Her remarkable body positioning can be seen in the Swan Lake video, but because of the distance filmed losses some of the impact that the detail adds.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLkPbyOgXDN/?hl=en

(posted at her Instagram site)

Edited July 30, 2022 by Buddy

[Buddy]

What embraces me as I continue to rewatch her White Swan duet, is the emotional attraction, both in her face and in her overall physicality. For one thing, it’s believable. It’s a living experience as much as a performance. It’s part of the here and now.

It’s a goddess-like statement of life, imagery and human relationship. Her physicality has a drama, a tension and release, that’s so well modulated and constructed. And it all moves along like a life being lived as well as an artistically fine and masterful work of poetry.

[Buddy]

A recent glimpse.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CnDU4UypAaC/?hl=en

 

[volcanohunter]

This glimpse [which personally I find horrifying ] is not especially recent. Sergeenkova hasn't been seen on stage since late June, although she is scheduled to return in two weeks' time.

[Mashinka]

Ugly beyond words.  What the hell is happening to that company?

[volcanohunter]

But she's the new Zakharova! 

@Mashinka, it's being gutted. The company's finest male character dancer, Vitaly Biktimirov, who could have worked there for another 2-3 decades, did not have his contract renewed when he turned 40. Its most experienced female character dancer, Kristina Karasyova, just danced her final performance. The female mime roles will now fall on Nelli Kobakhidze, a sadly unrealized talent, but if the pattern holds, she will be booted out next year. Maria Alexandrova is no longer listed even among the "under contract" principals. New coaching hires are people who never danced at the Bolshoi. Its institutional memory is being destroyed. 

Fortunately for us, for the foreseeable future we won't have to witness this decline for ourselves.

[Buddy]

She will be performing Giselle, January 22 (a debut?). Hopefully there’ll be some video clips. This is a work that, somewhat similar to Swan Lake, requires a significant change in character from ‘Part I’ to ‘Part II” and a lot of sensitivity. I continue to be very interested in what manner this brilliant and highly expressive young artist performs such works. Also Alyona Kovalyova will be Myrtha, which should make it even more impressive and interesting.

She will also be dancing George Balanchine’s Diamonds again, February 3.

Edited January 11, 2023 by Buddy
typo correction

[Buddy]

Video clips have been posted of her debut as Giselle today.

She’s Outstanding !  I’m not particularly a fan of extreme flexibility, etc., but her overall presentation is Remarkable !

She’s probably destined to be one of the greats, if she isn’t already.

[Buddy]

To describe her performance of Giselle might be like trying to describe a Breath of Air. Her performance is as flawless in its representation as it is vital.

Emanating from her face and carried through her entire physical being, each motion, each construction draws you in and takes you on her voyage of the heart, mind and soul.

That she choses to use elements of physical extremes can be debated. That her overall statement is fashioned of otherwise magnificent artistry and intent can allow us perhaps to see, experience and journey with something very, very special.

Edited January 23, 2023 by Buddy
last paragraph added

[Buddy]

What might be most ‘amazing,’ for me here, is how she’s able to combine Grace and Expression, Subtlety and Drama, Oxana Skorik and Olga Smirnova, as well as I’ve ever seen.

[Buddy]

Another debut for Eva Sergeyenkova, two Saturdays ago, as Nikiya in La Bayadere.

Her exceptional quality is her ability to Express. It’s also the Bolshoi’s hallmark. She accomplishes it both facially and through her entire physicality. It’s how she expresses her innermost feelings. She creates an aura that goes beyond just fine acting.

Several video clips have been posted. Her portrayal had a very ‘classical’ feeling. I immediately thought of classical paintings, this artist and this example of his work being about as close as I could get for the moment.

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres  - The Princesse de Broglie

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Princesse_de_Broglie#/media/File:Jean_auguste_dominique_ingres_princesse_albert_de_broglieFXD.jpg

I’ve just watched the famous duets from the ‘dream scene’ of this and from her recent Giselle debut. I consider both of them to be similar in importance, beauty and overall feeling. I did find her Giselle portrayal to be somewhat softer and more embraceable, which I liked very much.

For a young ballet artist of only nineteen years of age, her expressive abilities are remarkable. Her’s should continue to be a wonderful career to follow.

Here are a few pictures from her Instagram site:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Co-hzRuItZB/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/p/Co3CR1boePD/?hl=en  

(Her presence in the above one (hard to detect from these photos), is different from the rest, being more convincingly warm and smiling than I’m used to seeing from other ballerinas and I liked it very much)

https://www.instagram.com/p/Co79CQII5uZ/?hl=en

 

 

  

Edited February 27, 2023 by Buddy
typo correction

[Buddy]

Presence, Presence, Presence.

I do consider her to be, perhaps, the most interesting ballerina that I know of presently performing, along with Olga Smirnova. There has been little video coverage of her, and even less of Olga Smirnova, this year. For me, they have many similarities. They come from the same background and represent some of the best in artistic dance expression.

A new video has just been posted of Eva Sergeyenkova’s recent performance of Giselle at the Bolshoi. It’s from the famously beautiful, second act, ‘dream’ sequence. I only watched the first part, but was immediately drawn in and greatly taken by her remarkable presence and how it combines so well with her wonderfully expressive and highly proficient dance ability.

I’ll continue to watch her with much interest in, and much hope for, her artistic future.

Correction: This was not a debut for Eva Sergeyenkova, which I've corrected above, but rather for her partner, Klim Efimov. 

Edited October 16, 2023 by Buddy
Correction made and noted

[meunier fan]

2 hours ago, Buddy said:

Presence, Presence, Presence.

I do consider her to be, perhaps, the most interesting ballerina that I know of presently performing, along with Olga Smirnova.

Time to visit NYCB and see Mira Nadon methinks, Buddy.  You WON'T be disappointed.  PROMISE.  

Edited October 16, 2023 by meunier fan