Denis Rodkin and Eleonora Sevenard: Couple Goals with Harperās Bazaar Russia
By popular demand, I bring you an EnglishĀ translation of theĀ Couple Goals segment / interviewĀ Denis Rodkin and Eleonora Sevenard did forĀ Harperās Bazaar Russia earlier this month.
D: What year were you 16?
E: Denis came to our performance at Vaganova Ballet Academy. We were introduced afterwards, and we met again two years later, when I joined the Bolshoi.
What were your first impressions of each other?
E: I thought Denis was an unreachable star.
D: I thought Elya was a nice and talented girl. That was the impression when we first met. The second impression was much more powerful. It happened in Greece in 2018. My parter got injured while we were on tour, and Elya was asked to fly to Greece to replace her. That was our second meeting - a proper one.
What annoys you about each other?
D: Elya always talks over me.
E: Nothing annoys me [about him].
Do you have pet names for each other?
D: When I put my coat on, on a plane, Elya calls me a bullfinch.
E: He bundles up even when itās toasty.
D: And when I canāt sleep she calls me an owlet.
E: The thing is, if he canāt sleep then I canāt sleep either.
What made you both laugh most recently?
E: Just now, when Denis couldnāt find the bag
D: Forget the contents, I couldnāt event find the bag...
Whatās you favourite past-time?
D: We like watching movies, I guess. [Ballet] is an exhausting job, so when you have a day off you donāt really want to go out, and watching a movie is the easiest thing to do at home.
E: Or a series.
What do you never leave the house without?
D: In winter - my coat. Otherwise, itās my earphones. Iām cranky in the mornings. I was in New York not long ago, I couldnāt fall asleep till 7am, and I had to get up at 9. Iām in the worst mood when Iām sleep-deprived, and music really helps.
E: My phone, I guess. In modern world, thatās the only way to stay connected.
What did you sacrifice for this relationship?
E: One time I went to a different city to see Denis, because he was dancing there. It was my day off, and I thought it would be better to spend it together. Though thatās not really a sacrifice.
D: You went to Samara in winter. It is definitely a sacrifice.
D: We were dancing in the same show but on different days recently. Itās important to rest between shows; ballet dancers need a day of bedrest to recover. Elya would come and support me after my show, and I would support her after hers.
Do you haveĀ āyourā song?
E: I think itās supporting and understanding each other... When they donāt need words to understand you. When they lift you up if youāre sad. Itās when youāre completely at ease with each other and never want to be apart.
D: I guess thereās no actual definition of it. Each person has their own. And itās not something you can say with words, you can only feel it and know it inside yourself.Ā