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 Now a new film, Dancer, due to open in Britain on Friday,
documents how the tattooed 'bad boy of ballet' came to be one of
the best dancers of his generation.
Polunin himself, meanwhile, has set up a company to bring
dancers together to perform and help them avoid the stresses he
faced.
Polunin, whose demons almost ended his ballet career, wants
Project Polunin to help dancers better manage anxiety and
prevent burnout. Advice includes employing a team of managers,
agents and advisors and working independently of a theater
company, as many actors and singers do.
"We are trying to give dancers a platform away from daily work
where they can be artists, that's what it's about," Polunin said
in an interview with Reuters. "It's about having fun, it's about
creation, it's about developing yourself as an artist."
Born in Kherson, Ukraine, Polunin moved to London as a young
teenager to join the Royal Ballet, speaking not a word of
English. He later became the ballet's youngest ever principal
dancer at the age of 19.
"Dancer", directed by Steven Cantor, showcases his talent for
and troubled relationship with dance, his attempt to end his
career and the personal transformation that eventually saw him
overcome his demons and stay the course as a ballet dancer.
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"I thought I will do the documentary, I will show my best dance and
I will move on to a different industry," Polunin said.
"I wanted to apply to an acting school, and then something happened.
I realized that I cannot just walk away from it. Something keeps me,
something hasn't been done yet."
Polunin will perform in a series of ballets put on by Project
Polunin at the Sadler's Wells theater in London, from March 14 to
March 18.
He is also pursuing an acting career and is set to play a supporting
role in the film 'The White Crow', about the life of legendary
Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, to be directed by British
actor Ralph Fiennes and based on the book by Julie Kavanagh.
(Reporting by Vera Afdjei. Writing by Maytaal Angel; Editing by
Susan Fenton)
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