The choreographic structures Olga Pona uses are often quite complex, a complexity which is not the result of postmodern theory, but seems to reflect  the complexity of life in post-communist Russia. The circumstances in Russia under which the work is made and performed are bad: there is no money for production and travel, and although the theaters are large, there is hardly any working equipment. These circumstances force the Russian choreographers to define the contemporary quality of their work, through content only. Russian contemporary dance does not come from an avant-garde tradition: it's the urge of a new generation to create dance that they think is relevant in this time. In the Ural region, hundreds of groups are creating "their" contemporary dance and they perform their work for large audiences. For them, Olga Pona's work has become one of their models.  [<<<<]