Sergei Polunin's Viral Dance Video

February 11, 2015

Though Hozier’s star shone at the Grammys this past weekend (where his “Take Me to Church” was nominated for Best Song), his music, while soulful and powerful, takes the backseat in this video featuring Sergei Polunin, the former Royal Ballet principal and dance rebel. Despite his obviously major talent, Polunin has also made a name for himself by walking out of rehearsals and has been deemed ballet’s “bad boy” by numerous media outlets over the past few years.

But when he soars with abandon and anguish in this video, alternating between moments of pristine technical polish and turns that are rough around the edges, all is (momentarily) forgiven. And when the short was posted on Vimeo over the weekend, dancers weren’t the only ones taking notice. Non-dance friends on social media went wild. Perhaps Polunin is trying to break the internet? See for yourself in the video below. Make sure you don’t miss the amazing camera angle revealing the full height of this explosive cabriole at 1:35. Talk about a combination of fluidity and strength.

Want more Sergei? Check out Pointe’s exclusive peek in his dance bag here.

Though Hozier’s star shone at the Grammys last weekend (where his “Take Me to Church” was nominated for Song of the Year), his music, while soulful and powerful, takes the backseat in this video featuring former Royal Ballet principal and dance rebel Sergei Polunin. Despite his obviously major talent, Polunin has also made a name for himself by walking out of rehearsals and has been deemed ballet’s “bad boy” by numerous media outlets over the past few years.

But when he soars with abandon and anguish in this video, alternating between moments of pristine technical polish and turns that are rough around the edges, all is (momentarily) forgiven. And when the short was posted on Vimeo over the weekend, dancers weren’t the only ones taking notice. People all over social media went wild. Perhaps Polunin is trying to break the internet? See for yourself in the video, directed by David LaChapelle, below. Don’t miss the amazing camera angle revealing the full height of this explosive cabriole at 1:35. Talk about a combination of fluidity and strength.

For more Sergei, check out Pointe‘s exclusive peek inside his dance bag here.

 

 

Sergei Polunin, “Take Me to Church” by Hozier, Directed by David LaChapelle
from David LaChapelle Studio on Vimeo.