Ghiorgo Zafiropulo Sculptor & Philosopher

This is the first representation of a dancer at the height of a jump, it is Yuri Soloviev of the Kirov Ballet who was the inspiration for this sculpture in 1966. Born in 1940 and dancer from childhood, he entered the Kirov in 1958. He was considered the dancer with the best elevation of his generation. The quality of his jumps earned him the nickname of "cosmonaut Yuri" from his colleagues in the Kirov Ballet. Indeed, such a jump i.e. "ballon" seems to defy the laws of gravity.

These are the qualities that Ghiorgo Zafiropulo has immortalized in bronze, choosing a plexiglass stand so that our eye perceives the moment of suspension in the air of his phenomenal leap. It is balanced by the inclination of the body, the head and position of the arms.

This work was probably inspired by the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" (Choreography Marius Petipa and music by Tchaikovsky). It was intitially completed in 1966, alone on a small bronze base, later in 1987, in a second interpretation it was combined with other dancers and aptly entitled "Ballons".