Ballet dancing was first introduced to Russia in the 1600s, and since then, the country has become the epicenter of the art form, producing numerous talented ballet dancers who have gone on to perform on stages around the globe. These dancers include the likes of Sergey Chumakov and Elena Petrichenko, two soloists in the Moscow ballet company who also perform under the name AcroDuoBallet, gliding effortlessly across stages worldwide performing routines that combine ballet with acrobatics.
One routine performed by the duo has taken the internet by storm in recent years, with many viewers praising the extraordinarily difficult movements that feature throughout the performance. The routine in question was ‘Arabian Dance’ from Tchaikovsky’s ballet ‘The Nutcracker’, which Elena and Sergey present in an acroballet style. Performing many elegant lifts and graceful poses, the duo glides exquisitely across the stage as though the entire five-minute routine requires no effort.
In one particularly jaw-dropping moment, the pair look as if they are floating above the stage. As Sergey lies face-up on the floor, Elena stands over him and proceeds to lean forward until she is almost horizontal, held up only by her incredibly strong abdominal muscles and Sergey’s grip across her legs. Unsurprisingly, this is the most-watched moment of the video, which itself has over a million views; “they’ve performed the whole dance as if they were weightless” said one impressed fan.
Those looking for a more contemporary ballet routine from Elena and Sergey, meanwhile, can turn to ‘Passion’, which the pair performed at the Baltic Ballet Festival in Latvia a few years ago. Depicting an intimate relationship through dance, the couple performs some fiery movements and intense lifts, holding each other in a delicate embrace one moment, and pushing each other away the next. It makes for a truly mesmeric five minutes, and is another testament to the incredible talent of this duo.
Elena and Sergey are clearly the cream of the crop when it comes to ballet dancers, performing every move with such poise and grace that they make it look easy. Dancing at this level, though, is of course quite the opposite, and the more you watch these two incredible dancers perform routines like ‘Arabian Dance’ and ‘Passion’, the more it becomes clear why Russia’s ballets are famous the world over.
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