My Take
Sergei Polunin is one of those rare talents who makes you feel both awe and genuine unease in equal measure — and honestly, that tension is what makes him so compelling to watch. He became the Royal Ballet's youngest principal dancer at just 19, which is the kind of prodigy story that writes itself, and then he famously walked away from it all in 2012, fueling years of speculation about what he'd do next. The 2016 David LaChapelle-directed video of him dancing to Hozier's "Take Me to Church" went viral for good reason — it's raw, almost painfully beautiful, and it crystallized exactly why people can't look away from him. His personal life and public statements have been controversial, to put it mildly, but when he's actually on stage or on camera moving, those reservations tend to melt away into something closer to wonder. Love him or not, the man can dance.
Overview
Sergei Vladimirovich Polunin (Russian: Сергей Владимирович Полунин; Ukrainian: Сергій Володимирович Полунін, romanized: Serhiy Volodymyrovych Polunin; born 20 November 1989) is a Russian ballet dancer, actor and model. He has Russian and Serbian citizenships, and has "always regarded himself as Russian". In 2025, he was stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Sergei Polunin
- Name (Japanese)
- セルゲイ・ポルーニン
- Reading
- せるげい・ぽるーにん
- Born
- November 20, 1989 (age 36)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Snake
- Origin
- Kherson, Russian Empire
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 2 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- ballet dancer / actor / model / dancer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- Prize of the President of the Russian Federation
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.