Myth vs reality

The dramatic ballet "Rasputin" was created by the Japanese choreographer Yuka Oishi specifically for Sergei Polunin and premiered at the famous Palladium Theatre in London. Her Rasputin is both an outsider and a monster, but at the same time a healer and a person endowed with superpower. "This is a story about a man with incredible charisma, strength and power," she says. "Some people considered Rasputin as a saint and mystic person, others as the devil. We tend to find out and to point out who is the villain. As we cannot prove or express ourselves in black or white alone, things are not that simple. There is only a fine line between Good and Evil and this line is moveable. There is a strong shadow where there is much light. Who was Rasputin? It will be a mystery forever. While watching black-and-white images of historical materials, I imagine the emotions they evoke in colours".

The score for the ballet was written by Kirill Richter – one of the most sought after in the new generation of Russian composers. The music for “Rasputin" has tremendous power, sweeping in its symphonic range and suggestively descriptive.