Widely regarded to be one the greatest tragic novels of all time, Anna Karenina centers around a tragic adulteress who falls in love with a dashing cavalryman and leaves her husband, only to commit suicide rather than subject herself to her lover’s rejection.  Eifman’s choreographic rendition of the celebrated 1877 literary work focuses on the love triangle between Anna, Vronsky and Karenin.  Eifman’s Karenin is a man who cannot understand why misfortune befalls him.  He sincerely loves his wife and her infidelity is a catastrophe for him.  Vronsky is a heroic lover who desires forbidden fruit but tires of it quickly.  For Eifman, the key to Tolstoy’s novel is Anna’s emotional and sensual dependence on Vronsky.  In his masterpiece, Eifman transforms this story of passion and power into one of the most stirring ballets brought to the stage. 

 The American premiere of Anna Karenina marks the troupe’s fourth visit to Boston and seventh tour to the United States.  The EIFMAN BALLET’s national tour is produced by New York based Ardani Artists Management, Inc. 

 
Founded by Boris Eifman in 1977 as the St. Petersburg Ballet Theater, the EIFMAN BALLET has revolutionized the concept of classical dance in Russia by taking the art of ballet to its highest level of expressiveness. Eifman created a new type of dance artists, dancers/actors, who use the solid foundation of impeccable classical ballet training as a launching pad for innovative, modern choreography. The theater's unique style fuses avant-garde dance with the methods of the 20th century dramatic theater and film, using all aspects of a theatrical production to create a rich and a multi-dimensional theater experience. 

Shortly after being formed, the EIFMAN BALLET began touring in Russia, performing to sold-out houses of audiences hungry for original artistic expression. Despite the pressure for Eifman to leave the country for not making "Soviet art," the company stayed in St. Petersburg and continued to perform to tremendous popular acclaim. 

Unable to tour internationally during the first 10 years of its existence for political reasons, the EIFMAN BALLET instantly became known internationally in 1988 after its first performance abroad at the Champs Elysees Theatre in Paris. The success of that performance has sent the EIFMAN BALLET on tours throughout Western and Eastern Europe, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Israel, and Latin America. In January of 1998, Ardani Artists took the risk of introducing American audiences to the unique world of Boris Eifman's daring choreography. Sharply contrasted against the strict conventions of classical ballet set by famous Russian ballet troupes like Bolshoi and Kirov, the EIFMAN BALLET electrified the New York audiences with its vibrant, often shocking and always original style. 

Hailed by critics worldwide as one of the most significant contributors to today's culture of ballet arts, the EIFMAN BALLET continues to constantly reinvent the art form. Responding to the enormous success of its first three seasons in New York, the company began its annual U.S. tours in 2000. In 1999, the EIFMAN BALLET joined only three other dance companies in the status of a constituent company of City Center, becoming the first non-American company to receive this honor.