A child prodigy, Sergei left Ukraine at the age of 13 and came to the UK where he shone at the Royal Ballet School. At the age of 19 he became the Royal Ballet’s youngest ever male principal.
Two years later he sensationally walked out, amid reports of drug use and hard partying, earning himself the “bad boy of ballet” moniker.
The story of his life in ballet is told in Dancer, a new cinema documentary by Steve Cantor, which will be playing at Salisbury Arts Centre September 14.
At the film’s centre is the unforgettable 2015 YouTube video of Polunin’s dance to Hozier’s Take Me to Church.
Shot in Hawaii by photographer David LaChapelle, Polunin’s bare-chested ballet routine almost melted the internet when it went viral. It’s since notched up more than 18 million views.
With archive footage, home movies and in-depth interviews, this revealing film takes an unprecedented look at the man who is transforming the shape of ballet as we know it.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-tW0CkvdDI[/embed]
For further information about the event, and tickets, click here.