Charismatic Russian dance prodigy Sergei Polunin brings Rasputin to Singapore for its Asian premiere

(PHOTO BY STEPHANIE PISTEL)

The old cliché “once in a lifetime” is often overused in the world of performance. But in the case of Russian ballet superstar Sergei Polunin, it couldn’t be more apt. The 30-year-old aesthetic alchemisto of the stage takes on the role of the title mystic and villain in Rasputin, whose influence over the Russian royal family did so much to bring down the Romanov dynasty. Choreographed by Yuka Oishi, the 95-minute performance, at the luxurious Marina Bay Sands, Singapore from March 20-21, will be the ballet’s Asian premiere.  

Polunin, whose performances have been compared to those of Mikhail Baryshnikov and Rudolf Nureyev at the height of their powers, is the controversial bad boy and so-called “rock star” of the ballet firmament. He became the London Royal Ballet’s youngest-ever principal dancer (at age 19) in 2010. Two years later, he stunned the ballet world by leaving the company, blaming ballet’s punishing discipline and lacklustre financial returns. Since then, his reputation has steadily grown. 

(PHOTO BY LUCA VANTUSSO)

Now, Polunin takes on a career-defining role that explores the ambivalence between power and weakness, and between good and evil. The Russian royal family believed that Rasputin, a self-proclaimed holy man, could cure the hemophilia of its young heir to the throne (Alexei, son of Tsar Nicholas II); Rasputin appears to save Alexei from death in the face of poisonous Prince Yusupov.

Unusually for a ballet dancer, Polunin has made the rare crossover into the mainstream culture. In 2015, he starred in a short dance video shot by American photographer and director David LaChapelle. The four-minute film, choreographed by Jade Hale-Christofi to the music of Hozier’s “Take Me to Church”, is almost like watching the heavily tattooed dancer making peace with his prodigious talent, and has accumulated nearly 28 million views on YouTube to date. (Polunin and LaChapelle reunited for a Diesel campaign in 2017).  

Since then, Polunin has re-emerged in Russia, dancing with the Stanislavsky Music Theatre, and has developed a parallel career as an actor, appearing in Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express and French director Danielle Arbid’s Passion Simple. 

So far, Polunin has toured London, Italy and Russia with the show to huge acclaim, with many saying the dark, complex psychological role makes seamless symbiotic sense for Polunin. With a striking set modelled on a chessboard (designed by Otto Bubenicek), and costumes awash and animated with flushes of colour and chiaroscuro, it’s stylish and stirring stuff at every level. If you only see one ballet all decade, make it Rasputin and the hyper-watt charisma of the Rasputin-esque Polunin as its lead.