Alexander Rachinsky
Soloist, Eifman Ballet

	Alexander Rachinksy Universal City, California

By Julia Bourlina

Translated by
Julia Bourlina & Jack Walker

Alexander Rachinsky was my classmate at the Vaganova Academy of Ballet in St. Petersburg. He actually started a year before me, but he was injured, had to sit out for several months, and we were in the same class beginning the fifth year.

Even though he was sometimes my partner in duet dancing class and in acting-art class, including the graduation exam, we almost never talked. We were always too exhausted, since we began classes at eight in the morning and didn't spend any time together until four in the afternoon.

After graduation I went into the Kirov Theatre and Alexander joined the Eifman troupe. Our paths rarely crossed. However, in the Spring of 2000, we met again when Eifman brought his company to the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles.

We had a mini-reunion backstage after a performance. When he returned to St. Petersburg, he gave me the following interview — some questions I asked him about life and work with the Boris Eifman Ballet.

Bourlina:
After graduation from the Vaganova Academy in 1984, you chose to work in the Eifman Ballet. Why? How did it happen that you received an invitation to join the company? Did you audition?

Rachinsky:
Into the theater of Boris Eifman I came because of many reasons. A friend of mine from the Vaganova Academy moved from the Kirov Ballet to the Eifman company, liked it there, and advised me to accept an invitation to audition.

The Eifman Company had the reputation as being a lab for creativity. It had done a few short performances and had gotten a lot of interest from the public.

Also, as a child I had been strongly impressed by Eifman's first ballet, Interrupted Song. It was a ballet different from all others I had ever seen. For this ballet he used the older advanced students from the Vaganova Academy.

I came to the audition in the gym that was rented by the Eifman troupe (They didn't have their own rehearsal space at this time). First, there was a lesson. Then after Mr. Eifman and a ballet teacher gave me a few different combinations.

After that Eifman told me that I fit to his company and in a few days he sent a formal request to the Vaganova Academy for me, and thus I received my first job in The Theater of Contemporary Ballet, the former name for Eifman's troupe.

Was it difficult to fit in with this troupe? How many dancers were in this troupe at that time?

To fit in with the company was not a problem for me because in general the people who worked there were very positive and friendly. There were around 45 dancers. I remember that when I was learning new performances, the older artists who showed me the choreography had a very serious attitude, acted very professionally, and showed a strong sense of responsibility.

Can you describe the relationship among the dancers in the Eifman company? Are they friendly with each other, or is there constant competition and fighting for a place in the hierarchy?

“Friendly relationships” best describes the situation. The competition has a healthy character, and I don’t know of people using sneaky tricks to gain advantages.

What changes have you seen in the Eifman company over the past 16 years?

There have been some changes. There has been the appearance of young and very energetic dancers. With the growth of the prestige of Eifman he has had the opportunity to attract better and better dancers. That’s why the level of the Eifman company has become very professional. If we are we are talking about physical appearance — I’m talking about specifically about height — we are one of the tallest companies in the world.

How do dancers audition for the company now?

There are different ways for entrance into the troupe. Sometimes there is an official audition for the graduating class of the Vaganova Academy. Sometimes artists come for a private audition. Sometimes they come by recommendation. Sometimes our ballet teachers go to different companies inside Russia and they invite artists who are by their opinion best suited to work in the troupe, with considerations for the changing repertoire.

How many people work in the Eifman company now?

I think we have about 60.

Who gives the daily lessons?

Professional teachers give the classes in the theater.

Do you have a piano player for ballet class, or do you use recorded music?

Yes, we have an accompanist and we have live piano accompaniment for all lessons in St. Petersburg, with rare exceptions. What about our lessons during the tours? We work using recordings of our accompanist that are taped during our lessons in Russia.

How is a dancer promoted from the corps de ballet to soloist?

In each case it happens in a different way. Some artists begin by dancing all the corps de ballet roles and then are invited to work exclusively as soloists. Some dancers are hired as soloists from the beginning. Other artists are given some of the solo roles but also continue to dance in the corps de ballet.

Tell me a about Lena Kuzmina [the Eifman troupe’s principal ballerina]. In my opinion she is a talented, deep and unusually interesting artist. What kind of person is she off the stage?

I have the same opinion as you. Yes, she is interesting and talented, and she belongs the group of thinking dancers. In regard to your previous question, she danced many corps de ballet parts, and after that worked as a soloist, polishing her technique and style, and she developed into a top artist. She continues to grow in the sense of organic movement and culture. She is a very nice person with a witty sense of humor. She is an interesting person to talk with, and she has a sensitive personality.

What is a typical day for an Eifman company artist when the troupe is in St. Petersburg?

We have a class at 11 o’clock in the morning. Usually we have rehearsal from noon to 3 p.m. and from 7 to 10 p.m. almost every day. Sometimes the afternoon rehearsal might be extended to 4 p.m. and the evening rehearsal might begin a 6 p.m. The soloists have individual schedules. Sometimes instead of the morning class we have a class before the evening performances, but this is usually only on tour. We usually have a short day on Saturday and Sunday off.

Usually when I ask dancers what their biggest fear is, they say injury. Is the same true for you?

Of course injury is a very bad thing, and all the time we are afraid of this. However, the most unpleasant thing is chronic pain, something like back or knee pain. Pain that doesn’t stop us from working but hurts constantly over a long period of time.

Does the Eifman company have a physical therapist and masseuse?

There are two therapists who do both.

Do you have good studio and rehearsal facilities in St. Petersburg?

We have three rehearsal studios, one large and two medium-sized. In general, they are in pretty good condition. We also have a buffet, sauna, gym, and massage facilities.

Do you have a single supplier for costume construction, Pointe shoes, character shoes and so forth, or does everything come from different places?

As far as I know, the company works with two tailor shops for costume construction. Ballet shoes are from Grishko, and pointe shoes are “R”-Class from a company in Moscow.

Are there makeup artists and hair stylists in the company, or do the dancers do everything themselves?

We have one person responsible for makeup and hair styling.

Are there name brand dance shops, like Capezio or Freed, in St. Petersburg now?

There is a Grishko store. I also think there is a Capezio store near the Mariinsky Theatre, but I’m not sure. There may be others.

How many months a year is the Eifman Ballet on tour outside Russia?

Usually we spend about five or six months a year on tour.

Where does the company find the most enthusiastic acceptance on tour? Where do you personally most enjoy going on tour? Why?

In general the Eifman troupe is liked everywhere. Probably we are most enjoyed in New York, Moscow, and Warsaw. I personally like Poland. The Warsaw theater is excellent with a very comfortable stage. The studios are very nice and there is a friendly atmosphere. Some countries are enjoyable because of the climate or architecture, but ageneral positive mood can be lost when the stage is not well-suited to our performances.

Which Eifman productions have you taken part in?

Since 1984 I have taken part in Twelfth Night, Master and Margarita, Barber of Seville, Pinocchio, Requiem, Human Passions, Teresa Rake, Illusion, Tchaikovsky, Don Quixote, Brothers Karamazov, My Jerusalem, Red Giselle, Russian Hamlet.

Which of the Eifman productions has been the most interesting for you to work in?

This was the work to develop the part of Don Quixote. It has been the largest part I have danced and it required the most creativity.

Which is your favorite Eifman ballet to perform in, and which is your favorite to watch from the audience?

I best like the part of Ivan in Brothers Karamazov. I like it because my person is not hidden behind costume and makeup. I wear normal, casual clothes with basic makeup. There is no special stylization to this role.

From the audience I like to watch Tchaikovsky and Red Giselle.

Is it difficult to work with ballet master Boris Eifman in the rehearsal studio?

I won’t say it’s easy. It is a physical and psychological challenge. If it is during the process of creation of his choreography, the difficulty is that every movement has meaning or order that relates to Eifman’s underlying theme. And with all this, he is looking for the closest possible relationship to the music. He changes many things in the process of rehearsal, right up to opening night.

From your point of view, what is Eifman’s secret to get the artists to open their personalities, throw their passions onto the stage, and bring up the deep emotional tension I saw on the stage last season in Eifman’s Red Giselle?

It is difficult to explain, but it seems to come from the process he uses to create. He creates a special ambience in the room that envelopes the artists. He creates the ambience that we are involved in the intense, active search for something. As the result he fills the artists with energy. It also helps greatly that he doesn’t create banal choreography. His movements fire up the dancers’ inspiration.

Eifman has given the impression to many people that he is a very closed and mysterious person. You have spent 16 years working with him, ballet master to dancer. Do you also know him as person?

In reality, I don’t think I know much about Eifman. He can act is so many different ways that trying to understand him is a senseless task. That’s why I think the word mysterious is the best way to describe him. What about his closed personality? I don’t think so. He is a person of reflection and he tends to be reflective and introspective in all different circumstances, but he is not really closed.

Have you ever had the desire to leave Eifman and go to a different company, even once? What has kept you with this choreographer so many years?

Yes, I have had the desire, and I nearly came to this point once. Why stay so many years with Eifman? I have asked myself this question many times, and the answer is always different. Ultimately, I think the reason is that Eifman creates genuinely theatrical ballets, real performances. They are not just empty choreography or meaningless divertissements. About his creations you can think, argue, etc. — because they are not dead.