National Ballet of Ukraine brings fundraising tour to Edmonton
The National Ballet of Ukraine is considered one of the world's top-ranked ballet companies. Before the outbreak of war in February 2022, the company staged 16 productions a month at the Taras Shevchenko National Opera House in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Today, the number of productions depends on the circumstances of war.
The company, too, has dwindled in size somewhat, says Liudmyla Movlenko, Ukraine's head of personnel and foreign affairs.
“Before the war, we had 150 people in our company,” she said over a Zoom call in September of last year. “In all, we had more than 1,000 in the theatre, 600 were artists. Now, after the war, we have less. Some artists had to go abroad because they are worried about the safety of their children, and some people lost their apartments and houses.”
Movlenko is the official representative of Ukraine First Lady Olena Zelenska for the tour. The tour is part of a fundraising campaign for the Olena Zelenska Foundation, instigated by the First Lady of Ukraine and other beneficiaries to provide essential humanitarian services on the ground in Ukraine.
On the 15-city Canadian tour that stops at Edmonton's Jubilee Auditorium on Saturday, the National Ballet of Ukraine will perform excerpts from ballets such as Le Corsaire and Don Quixote, while also highlighting Ukrainian culture through traditional dance.
“We're excited to represent what Ukrainian ballet is right now,” dancer Mykyta Sukhorukov said in the September call.
The program, he says, includes pure classical ballet, Ukrainian folk dance and some contemporary works. Dance and other forms of art have a role to play in times of war, he adds.
“In Ukraine, when we perform in Kyiv, audiences can come to theatre and forget for two hours about all the disaster that is around them. It's very helpful for people because after almost two years of war, they really want good emotions. Ballet, theatre and opera are places to give you this.”
One of Sukhorukov's pieces in the program is a pas de deux to the music of Myroslav Skoryk, a Ukrainian composer. Besides composing for ensembles and soloists, Skoryk was the artistic director of Kyiv Opera from 2011-2016 and scored more than 40 movies.
The company is hoping audiences will come out to experience Ukrainian dance and culture, especially at a time when people may be experiencing war fatigue and the country is in danger of losing international support.
“I'd like to invite all Canadian audiences and especially the Ukrainian diaspora, the Ukrainian community to our performances,” Movlenko said. “It is one of the best programs which we have ever prepared for our foreign tours. We have gathered the best soloists and the best dances to bring to our soul, our talents and our inspiration to Canadian audiences.”