Childhood and youth
On November 20, 1989, in the city of Kherson, the future master of the ballet stage was born into the Polunin family. According to his zodiac sign, Sergei is Scorpio. Already at the age of 3, the baby was sent to a gymnastics school, where the teacher immediately appreciated both the child’s plasticity and keen ear for music.
After 5 years, Sergei’s family decided to transfer their son to a choreographic school, where he soon became the best student. At the age of 8, the boy leaves to study in Kyiv. His mother accompanies him, and his father goes to work in Portugal: his son’s studies require considerable investment.
The labors of adults were not in vain. At the age of 13, the young Ukrainian dancer takes a prize in the International Serge Lifar Competition. A year later, Sergei moved to London to continue his studies at the Royal Ballet School.
In a new country, the aspiring dancer still did not allow himself to slow down. In 2006, the artist reached the finals of the international competition “Prix of Lausanne”. At the age of 17, Sergei Polunin officially joined the ballet troupe of the Royal Theater in Covent Garden.
Biography of Sergei Polunin
Sergei Vladimirovich Polunin is a Ukrainian ballet dancer, actor and fashion model. At various times he participated in projects of the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theater, the Moscow Musical Theater, the Royal Ballet, and since 2020 he has been a soloist of the Bavarian Ballet. In 2020, he starred in the Hollywood film “Murder on the Orient Express.”
Personal life
It is known for certain about the rebel’s romance with the ballerina Helen Crawford. The couple spent 2 years together, but after the girl’s announcement about having children together, Sergei ended the relationship. A year later, the man began to often appear in public with another ballet representative, Yulia Stolyarchuk, but their romance did not receive official confirmation.
Despite great sympathy, Natalya never became the dancer’s legal wife. The union lasted 2 years, after which news of the couple’s separation appeared. According to reporters, the ballerina left the dancer for an unknown conductor.
Later, Sergei admitted that he was going through a difficult period at that moment. He literally flooded his Instagram with huge posts of reflections. This went on for 4 months, but subsequently the artist deleted these photos and comments from the social network.
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A post shared by Sergei Polunin (@poluninink) on Dec 2, 2020 at 6:48am PST
Sergei Polunin and Elena Ilyinykh
Soon there was a virtual acquaintance with figure skating champion Elena Ilyinykh. The couple corresponded for a while, and soon the communication grew into a real acquaintance. They immediately felt an attraction not only on a personal level, but also creatively. The tastes and ideas of Sergei and Elena coincided.
Together they became participants in the ballet production “Rasputin”, which was presented in Russia, at the Barvikha Luxury Village, and then in London. The choreographer of the performance was the Japanese Yuka Oishi, with whom Polunin had previously worked on the Sacre project.
The performers spoke about the premiere on the “Evening Urgant” show. According to the artist, he is interested in transforming into non-standard personalities, outsiders who are capable of grandiose deeds.
And on January 16, 2020, the couple had a son. The happy parents hid this fact from the public for some time, but in March they shared their joy with fans. The boy was given the unusual name Mir.
Personal life of Sergei Polunin
The artist’s personal life is as turbulent and unpredictable as his career. His first serious love interest was London ballet dancer Helen Crawford. She was nine years older than her chosen one and was ready to start a family and children. However, the ardent young lover was not satisfied with this prospect, and they soon separated.
Then Polunin repeatedly appeared in the company of the young ballerina Yulia Stolyarchuk, and after a while fans noticed the “Natasha” tattoo on his arm. Sergei dedicated it to the ballerina Natalya Osipova, whom he met at the La Scala Theater during a rehearsal of “Giselle.” Soon their relationship grew from a partnership into a love affair, and the artists stopped hiding their romance.
Ballet
At the age of 19, a ballet dancer is appointed to the main roles in productions. A hardworking young man from Ukraine becomes the premier of the famous theater, and the youngest in the entire history of the troupe. With a height of 180 cm, the 65-kilogram dancer easily soars into the air, seemingly defying the law of gravity.
The first role was the main role in La Bayadère, but then Sergei had to plunge into the world of the supporting cast and the corps de ballet, such was the policy of the theater management. Just 2 years later, Polunin danced Prince Désiré from The Sleeping Beauty and the Prince from Cinderella.
Such a brilliant biography takes a sharp turn in 2011. During the next rehearsal, Sergei leaves the dance hall and never returns to the walls of the Royal Theater. Newspaper headlines express theories about the dancer’s unstable psyche and prohibited substances, the use of which Sergei did not hide.
Polunin himself explained his departure by saying that he was tired of the routine of the repertory theater. The performer planned to move to America, but due to his reputation as the “bad boy of ballet,” the doors of all famous companies were closed to him. The dancer decided to experiment - together with his friend, former gangster Anthony Lammin, he opened a tattoo parlor on the outskirts of London.
At some point, Sergei decided that he had finished his career, but in 2012 he decided to move to Moscow, where he became the premiere of the ballet troupe of the Theater. Stanislavsky.
In Russia, the dancer collaborates with the Opera and Ballet Theater in Novosibirsk, and later begins performing on the stage of the Bavarian Ballet. Polunin’s premieres took place in the capital, which can be called stellar - the performances “Don Quixote”, “Giselle”, “Swan Lake”.
Published by Alexandra Muravyova Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Sergei Polunin and Natalya Osipova
The artist was not afraid to become a participant in the “Bolshoi Ballet” project of the “Culture” channel. Having passed all the tests and competitions in front of the Russian public, Sergey took 1st place. Within a few weeks, the dancer regained the level of recognition that he had in London.
In addition to working in the theater, Polunin tries his hand as an actor. He stars in Hozier's video for the song Take Me to Church. This video has received 27 million views on the Internet.
In May 2020, the spy action film “Red Sparrow” was shown in Russian cinemas, in which Polunin played a minor role. This was followed by work in the family film The Nutcracker and the Four Realms and the biographical drama The White Crow.
Sergey is the creator of the company Polunin Inc, which is designed to unite choreographers and dancers. Under his leadership, charitable foundations operate in Serbia and Great Britain to find talented children. At the formation stage - registration of such an organization in Russia. In the summer of 2020, Sergei took up the temporary post of rector of the Sevastopol Academy of Choreography.
This is a large-scale project to create educational clusters throughout Russia. The state provides financial support to institutions of this type. On the first day at the Sevastopol Academy, 20 people were selected for the state budget, another 14 additionally received grants from the Polunin Foundation. Several students were invited to Sergei's dance projects.
With Sergei Polunin, Pamela Anderson and Daniel Lismore at Project Polunin gala dinner at Banqueting House
Published by Wayne Sleep Saturday, February 25, 2020
Sergei Polunin, Pamela Anderson, Wayne Sleep and Daniel Lismore
According to the creators, the academy belongs to the secondary educational level, where at the initial stage much attention is paid to the classics. Here children learn music and acting. According to Polunin, proper nutrition is of great importance for a student’s successful education. Sergei has developed a system according to which a diet is correctly selected for each teenager according to his weight.
The video was followed by work in advertising for Dior Homme under the direction of Bruce Weber and the scandalous publication of an issue of King Kong, on the cover of which Polunin appeared naked in the company of Pamela Anderson. The author of the photo shoot was photographer David LaChapelle, who previously worked on the creation of the sensational video.
In 2020, the first page opens in the history of cooperation between the ballet star and the Balmain fashion house. Together with Letizia Casta, Polunin became the hero of another photo shoot for the Pirelli calendar. Other participants in the shooting were Gigi Hadid, ballerina Misty Copeland and actress Julia Garner. The photographs were lined up into the concept of a common story, where all the models appeared in certain roles.
The work in front of the camera impressed the artist so much that Sergei moved to Hollywood. Polunin set himself a new goal - to become a sought-after actor. In 2020, the documentary film “Dancer” was released, telling about the life of a man from a young age.
In 2020, the artist made his debut in a feature film. In the film “Murder on the Orient Express” he played the role of Count Andreni. The man admitted that he was worried about his lack of experience, so he spent his free time carefully studying the work of his colleagues - Johnny Depp, Judi Dench and Lucy Boynton.
Sergei Polunin and Laetitia Casta
Published by Luxxy Wednesday, December 5, 2020
Sergei Polunin and Laetitia Casta
Despite Sergei’s willingness to invest energy in the educational project, Nikolai Tsiskaridze considered his appointment to the position of rector to be a mistake. According to the Moscow dancer, Polunin lacks the educational base to conduct teaching activities.
One of Polunin's last classical productions was Sergei Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet, in which he performed for the first time.
In October 2020, the man presented his show Satori in Moscow at Crocus City Hall. In the play, Sergei talks about his own creative path, thanks to which he managed to find harmony in life. The concert included Sergei's solos from the ballet "Diana and Actaeon" and his solo performance from the Japanese play "Moonlight Sonata".
Previously, the project was presented at the Coliseum Theater in London, where it received enthusiastic audience responses and positive reviews from critics. The artist went on tour throughout Russia with performances, and a full house awaited him in every city.
Polunin's next appearance on screen as the hero of a music video took place in mid-2019. The ballet dancer starred in a video to the music for the song “Will I Become Happier” by producer Max Fadeev. The video was created on the stage of the Novosibirsk Opera House.
Ballet activity
At the age of 19, the young man managed to achieve certain heights. They began to put him in the main roles in productions. Thanks to his hard work, a young man from Ukraine managed to become the premiere of the majestic famous theater. Moreover, he was the youngest in history. He was 180 centimeters tall and his weight of 65 kilograms did not prevent him from rising into the air without much difficulty.
But the dancer's wonderful success story changes dramatically in 2011. During one of the rehearsals, the young man turns around and leaves. He never returned to the Royal Theater ballroom. The headlines of famous newspapers begin to be full of headlines about the guy’s mental instability, as well as the fact that he abuses illegal substances. Sergei never hid the fact that he dabbles in such things.
Sergei did not remain silent. He stated that he left only because of the constant routine of the repertory theater , which suffocated him.
During this period of life, a young man decides to radically change his life. Together with his friend, former gangster Anthony Laminne, he opens a tattoo parlor on the very outskirts of the city.
At some point, he even began to think that he had ended his career forever. However, a year later he decides to move to Moscow and there he becomes the premier of the ballet troupe of the Stanislavsky Theater . He began to collaborate with the best theaters in the country, and also repeatedly performed with troupes of the best institutions.
He decides not to focus on ballet activities, so he tries himself as an actor. To begin with, I decided to star in the video of the famous artist Hozier for the track Take Me to Church. After a short period of time, he was invited to appear in a commercial. And a year later, the first page of the artist and fashion house Balmain opens. This was a fortunate turn in his fate.
Sergei was impressed by working with famous directors. This gave him the idea to move to Hollywood. Success in front of the camera allowed him to set himself a new unusual goal - to become a successful and sought-after actor. He succeeded, even though he is only in the early stages of success.
A documentary film with his participation, called “Dancer,” was released not long ago. He talks about the life of a man from an early age.
first serious work in cinema was the detective film Murder on the Orient Express . He had the opportunity to play the role of Count Andreni. The young guy was incredibly worried about the fact that he did not have much experience in real cinema. Because of this, he spent most of his time studying the work of the more successful and experienced artists with whom he had the opportunity to work: Johnny Depp, Judi Dench and Lucy Boynton.
Sergei Polunin on the set of “Murder on the Orient Express”
The artist’s film career did not end there. After some time, he received a minor role in the spy action film Red Sparrow. Then he starred in a pleasant family film project. He also landed a role in the biopic.
In 2020, Sergei Polunin became a member of the jury of the Dance Revolution show on Channel One.
Tattoos
Sergei Polunin often expresses his own emotional attachment with tattoos. On the artist’s back is the inscription “Sorry, Tiger Cub,” dedicated to the dancer’s unknown lover. The tattoo is decorated with scars that imitate scratches. The artist dedicated the “Natasha” tattoo on his hand to Natalya Osipova. They met in 2020 while preparing the play “Giselle”. The main role went to Sergei, and during rehearsals feelings arose between the dancers.
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A post shared by Sergei Polunin (@poluninink) on Oct 29, 2020 at 9:36am PDT
Tattoos of Sergei Polunin
His numerous tattoos are diluted with contradictory images of a swastika, a trident and a portrait of Vladimir Putin. Polunin made the image of the President of the Russian Federation in England, at a time when elections to the post of head of state were underway in Russia. Thus, the dancer decided to express his support for the current leader of the state. Later, a tattoo in the form of a three-bird appeared on Sergei’s temple. According to the ballet star, it means the unity of the three countries. Polunin noted that all tattoos “come true.”
Further career
In 2012, the young dancer made an unexpected decision - to move to Russia. He dreamed of being on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater and was sure that it was in his homeland that his talent would be able to fully reveal itself. Igor Zelensky, artistic director of the Stanislavsky Theater, took the “patronage” of the young artist. He immediately recognized a unique talent in the shocking young man and made him the premiere of his theater. During this period, Sergei also performed at the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theater as a guest soloist.
In 2014, Sergei starred in the video “Take Me to Church” by the Irish artist Hozier. This track made a splash in the music world, gained tens of millions of views on YouTube and won a lot of prestigious awards. Filming in Hawaii made an indelible impression on the exalted young man, and he decided to gradually move away from ballet and switch to cinema.
In 2020, the film “Dancer” was released on world screens, telling the story of the amazing success of Sergei Polunin, the difficult path to fame and world fame and the mental torment that tears apart his contradictory nature.
Sergei Polunin now
Now the artist is full of strength and new ideas. On the eve of his 30th birthday, Sergei visited the studio of Boris Korchevnikov’s program “The Fate of Man” and Vladimir Pozner on his TV show.
Sergei does not forget to please the little spectators. On the eve of the New Year holidays 2020, the premiere of the play “Little Red Riding Hood” to the music of Kirill Richter and choreographed by Ross Freddie Ray took place in Zaryadye. The artist himself appeared in the image of a woodcutter, the lover of the grown-up main character. His partner on stage was Laura Fernandez.
In February, Channel One started showing the choreographic show “DANCE Revolution”, in which Polunin took part as a member of the jury. The judging team also included Alla Sigalova and Vera Brezhneva.
In addition, the artist launched his own online store of the Poluninink Store brand. Several lines of original products are available on the official website, as the ballet star spoke about from his personal Facebook page.
Polunin's attitude towards Russia and Ukraine
Polunin was associated with Ukraine only for the first 13 years of his life and a coat of arms tattoo on his left hand. But the artist’s relationship with Russia is much warmer. In his early interviews, the dancer claimed that the decision to move to Moscow was forced. Having refused a place at the Royal Ballet of London, Polunin acquired a reputation as an unreliable person, which is why he was unable to get a job in a theater in New York. The only big stage in the world of ballet that left its doors open was Moscow.
In the first years of his new Russian life, Polunin complained about poor treatment of dancers and little support. To be fair, it is worth noting that Polunin was also not satisfied with the prime minister’s salary in London. In one of his interviews, he claimed that the dancers of the Royal Ballet have nothing to go to a restaurant, and he, with his 2.5 thousand pounds of income, is not able to even afford a car. But in another interview, Polunin talked about the two-level apartment in , which was provided to him by the Royal Ballet, and also shared plans to buy his own home in the UK and obtain a British passport. The Moscow apartment, which, according to Polunin, was allocated to him by the theater, did not even have a microwave.
