DANCING IN SOLIDARITY
Kyiv City Ballet was on tour in France when the war in Ukraine broke out. Laura Reid speaks to its directors ahead of a special fundraising performance from the company in York.
European people have been very helpful, generous, with warm hearts. They are helping us all the way they can. They are finding a roof above our head, solutions for us to have a place to work.
Ivan Kozlov, the founder of Kyiv City Ballet.
THE STAGE was set at Paris’ Théâtre du Châtelet. Kyiv City Ballet had arrived in the French capital and were undergoing final preparations for a run of performances of The Nutcracker.
The company settled in for a night of rest before the opening show. When they awoke the next morning, February 24 this year, they were inundated with messages and calls from family and friends back home.
They turned on the television and watched the horrors unfold. Russia had invaded their nation; Ukraine was at war. “We were about to do our first performance that night,” says Ivan Kozlov, founder and general director of the ballet company.
“Our relatives had been calling us, sending us messages, saying the war had started. We switched on the TV and saw the bombs in Ukraine, mostly on military bases. It was a shocking situation. We couldn’t understand.
“We kept working, kept performing,” he continues. “The show must go on. It was very tough, a very hard situation.
“We didn’t know what to do or where to go, we just tried to keep doing what we usually do and to keep in touch with our relatives.”
More than three months on and the company are still based in Paris, having received an offer of residency at the theatre. In March, they performed a specially-devised showcase in support of Ukrainians, accompanied by dancers from the Opéra National de Paris.
Now the company is heading to Yorkshire for its first UK performance since Ukraine came under attack.
York Theatre Royal will be hosting them for a special gala show tomorrow, with all ticket proceeds being donated to Unicef ’s Ukraine Appeal.
“This is our chance to perform and share in our love and share our creations with an England audience,”
Ivan says. The performance will be split into two parts, beginning with an onstage ballet class.
“You can see how artists prepare for a performance every day, about their work and routine,” Ivan explains. “You can kind of look behind the curtain.”
In the second part, the result of that preparation will be on show, with excerpts from ballets such as Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.
“That’s a concert with some of the top pieces of performance we have in our repertoire,” Ivan says.
The company is due to arrive in the city today before heading back to Paris on Wednesday. Tom Bird, chief executive of York Theatre Royal, personally invited them to perform, with organisations such as Make it York, City of York Council and York BID offering support with logistics.
Eurostar and LNER have stepped in to arrange the company’s return travel for the fundraising performance, while a number of Visit York hotel and hospitality members have offered to accommodate them.
First Bus will support on the visa costs, with remaining costs and company fees for the performance to be covered through corporate sponsorship.
It will be the first time that Kyiv City Ballet’s associate director Ekaterina Kozlova has been to the UK with a performance.
“We were very honoured by the invitation,” she says. “When we received it there was a lot going on and a lot of logistical challenges but this has been one of the most exciting aspects of the past few months.”
In one interview, Katya, as she is known, described the company as being “the lucky ones”, explaining how members were being well taken care of in France and were able to keep rehearsing.
Doing so has meant they have been able to focus on “something other than the war in Ukraine”, but the worry about friends, family and loved ones at home is unwavering.
“We are feeling that European people have been very helpful, generous, with warm hearts,” Ivan says. “They are helping us all the way they can.
“They are finding a roof above our head, solutions for us to have a place to work and create something, a place to work as much as possible to not think about the war.
“I cannot say we aren’t thinking about this, it’s always in the background. Everyone is trying to connect with their relatives. Your first thought when they pick up the phone is at least they’re alive.”
Katya adds: “One of the things that has helped everyone is that we are together in a group and so we have been able to support and help each other, keep working everyday and keep going.”
The ballet company, founded by Ivan ten years ago and made up of around 35 dancers, has performed numerous tours across Europe and Asia.
After The Nutcracker run in France, the plan was for them to return to Ukraine mid-March and prepare for another tour. The thought of going back, for many, is too dangerous.
“The residency was generously offered to us by the Mayor of Paris,” Katya explains. “Before we received that, we had no idea what we were going to do. Everything was unfolding so quickly.
“The residency has meant we have continued working here in France, continued creating new ballets, new pieces for our next season.
“Physically we have legs, we have arms, we can walk, we can go back,” Ivan says.
“But to work there, our work, to help our country the way we have, it wouldn’t be possible.
“During our time staying in France we are doing so many charity performances and helping our country the way we can.
“We are raising money, our organisers are sending money to help organisations and we are helping Ukraine that way.”
An evening with the Kyiv City Ballet will be an opportunity for York to publicly show its support for the citizens of Ukraine, while celebrating an incredible evening of dance, say organisers.
“In what are incredibly dark times, it has been heartening to see York’s response as the city has come together to show our support and solidarity with our Ukrainian friends here in York and in Ukraine,” says Coun Darryl Smalley, City of York Council’s executive member for culture, leisure and communities.
“From donations and heart-warming signs of solidarity to housing refugees, it’s clear that we as a city are united and ready to do all we can to stand with Ukraine and its people.
“Art has a unique way of uniting people and that’s what we need more now than ever. This will certainly be an emotional and wonderful evening for a crucial cause.”
As for what’s next for Kyiv City Ballet, the company has performances planned around France and in the Czech Republic after its return from York.
“We keep dancing,” Ivan says. “We keep working and keep sharing the braveness of our country from the stage, showing that we are unbreakable.”