 AMERICAN INSPIRATION In a self-confessed challenge, the usually dark Russian choreographer Boris Eifman has turned his imagination inside out, upside down and slightly sideways in his newest ballet, "Who’s Who?" a witty and bright work that combines ballet, modern, jazz, Broadway dance and a bit of tap to tell its American-inspired tale. The full-evening work receives its New York premiere during the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg’s season at City Center, April 4-20. The engagement will conclude with the return of Eifman’s children’s ballet, "Pinocchio," which played to sold-out houses at its New York premiere last year. "Who’s Who" tells of Max and Alex, two Russian ballet dancers from the Imperial Theater, who come to America to seek their fortune only to discover themselves unable to find jobs and pursued by gangsters. Disguising themselves as women, they finally get work in a nightclub. Combining love and ambition, tinged with sadness, the zany story of their adventures is told with cinematic sweep and a score that includes music ranging from Duke Ellington, William Strayhorn and Count Basie to Samuel Barber and Sergei Rachmaninov. Beginning with Alex and Max’s arrival on Ellis Island, and using a multi-purpose floor-to-ceiling aluminum set, this in pursuit of the American dream story takes place in twelve spectacular scenes including Hollywood, Broadway, a Brooklyn flea market and a Jewish wedding to reveal the cultural and emotional complexity of life found in America. The costumes, of which there are three hundred, offer a dazzling array of periods and character—from the drabness of the émigré dress to sexy suggestions of Bob Fosse’s Broadway to a hilarious romp on a 1920’s beach to a glamorous Imperial ball to a Balanchine-esque ballet stage. On the other hand, "Pinocchio," a spectacle of shimmering color and light, is a work for children and adults. Crowded with fantastical characters including donkeys, fairies, a fox, a dove, pirates, gypsies and clowns, not to mention Giuseppe and Pinocchio himself, the ballet, created in 1989, is a story of the victory of compassion over cruelty and dictatorship. The season marks the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg’s sixth annual season at City Center. Eifman, part of a new generation of independent Russian choreographers who sought individual expression, founded the Eifman Ballet in 1977. In addition to creating over 40 works ranging from rock ballets to ballet buffo and fairy tales, as well as ones based on dramatic, literary and psychoanalytic themes for his own company, he has choreographed ballets for the Kirov, Bolshoi and Maly Theaters. Additionally, he is directing the international celebration of the 300th anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg on May 31 at the Maryinsky Theater. Prior to its City Center dates, the company embarked on a cross-country tour of the United States that began at the Wang Center in Boston, MA (March 14-16) and then traveled to the Auditorium Theater in Chicago, IL (March 19-23). Following its City Center Season the company can be seen at the State Theatre in Cleveland, OH (April 22-23), at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC (April 25-27) at Meany Hall in Seattle, WA (May 1-3) at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, CA (May 7-11) and at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, CA (May 15-18). All evening curtains for the City Center season beginning on Friday, April 4 through Saturday, April 19 are at 8pm. There are 3pm matinees on all Saturday and Sunday afternoons. (Please note there are no Sunday evening performances). City Center is located at 131 West 55th Street. Tickets, which range between $35 and $75, may be purchased at the City Center box office, through CityTix at 212-581-1212 or online at www.citycenter.org. ### 250 West 57th Street Suite
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