Valentin Elizaryev. Flight Towards Life. How Ballet is Born

Valentin Elizaryev's ballets have formed a new type of ballet dramaturgy, based on continuous action, polyphony of musical and choreographic images, metaphorical and diverse plasticity, comparison, contrast, and harmony of individual scenes, and the unity of all components of the performance. The outstanding choreographer discusses his creative method, how a performance is born – from concept to premiere. The author of the book spoke with stars of the world art who studied and worked with Valentin Elizaryev. About how his ballets were born, about the essence of ballet art, and the nature of creativity, the book features insights from Mikhail Baryshnikov, Boris Eifman, Rodion Shchedrin, Heinrich Mayorov, Nina Ananiashvili, Andris Liepa, and many others.