War and upheaval walk together hand in hand. And it’s not uncommon for them to find you completely unprepared. In February, Ukrainians had already been fighting Russians in their eastern regions for over eight years. Threats of a larger invasion at the beginning of this year were viewed with confident incredulity, until it happened and the country was thrown into turmoil.
On tour in France at the time of the full-scale invasion of its homeland, one of the country’s foremost ballet companies, the Kyiv City Ballet, found itself adrift in Paris after the Russian onslaught began. Unable to return to their country, France provided the company sanctuary and continues to offer refuge to its 35 dancers and small army of support staff. Their displaced status has given them the opportunity to expand their roles; allowing them to become dancing ambassadors of good will. Since February, Kyiv City Ballet has been performing throughout France and the rest of Europe while doing what it can to stay connected to family and friends at home and remain current on the war’s progress.
September 16th marked the beginning of the company’s twelve city US tour that lit up the stage of Chicago’s landmark Auditorium Theatre over the weekend. Audiences had the opportunity to show their solidarity with Ukraine’s fight for freedom and to observe dance through a European lens. Ballet companies around the world routinely incorporate other dance forms into their repertoire and the program Kyiv City Ballet developed for its US tour reflected that general trend. Of the four dances performed Saturday night, only one, Classical Suite, showcased the artistry of traditional ballet. At ten years old, the company can still be considered very young and in the formative years of creating its own dance personality. Versatility and adherence to a mission of inclusion are both already locked down.
Choreographed by one of its lead dancers, Vladyslav Dobshynskyi, Thoughts, the company’s opening dance, is contemporary, large, somber and has the glow of spectacle. It’s not that often that the program explains a dance’s intended message. Dobshynskyi’s dance asks how much do we understand and value our thoughts. It also probes into whether we can commit ourselves to them and explores what happens if they are abandoned. These deep questions take on the dimensions of an odyssey when translated into dance. A soloist, alone in a mass of dancers who move as a single unit, is in battle. Both a struggle and a pursuit are transpiring but what’s most transfixing is the movement and life emanating from the large body of dancers. Precisely synchronized and overwhelming in its monolithic strength, the dance confirms that our thoughts have the power to induce regret or lead us to fulfillment.
Created expressly for the ballet company’s USA 2022 tour, Tribute to Peace gave us a look at life in a more perfect world. Costumes echoed the 19th century when men wore top hats and women’s skirts swept the floor. An age when elegance was an aspiration. Very colorful and highly impressionistic artwork projected on a white wall as backdrop helped lock in an idealistic and optimistic mood for a series of dance tableaus that endorsed the willingness to accept others. Most of the mini-stories the dances told had a romantic tinge. The simplicity of their messages added to their appeal and to the weight of what they were attempting to say. Shown from a variety of perspectives exactly what “love is love” looks like and means, the audience was unequivocal in its approval.
Ballet purists likely breathed a sigh of relief by the time the three dances for two, the pas de deux, arrived after the second intermission. The Classical Suite also featured the company’s corps of ballerinas whose preciseness threatened to outshine the principal dancers. But it was the ethereal, physics defying precision of the soloists that most recalled the unique beauty and physical demands of ballet. It’s said that ballet companies either focus on the arms and hands or the feet. Up to this point, Kyiv City Ballet adhered to the former. A dance belatedly added to the program would subvert the trend.
Although its name was never provided, the finale was likely the folk dance inspired Men of Kyiv. With the background now depicting an image of Kyiv’s glorious gold domed Byzantine architecture, eight dancers exposed the lion heart of Ukraine. Steeped in what broadly could be called Cossack tradition, both the music and the dance reveled in proud acknowledgment of national identity. Half of the dancers wore yellow T shirts and half wore blue. The shades of each color were those the western world associates exclusively with Ukraine. The self-possession, aplomb and boldness the dancers displayed we also associate with Ukraine. A different kind of contest or rivalry was at play in Men of Kyiv. This one was grounded in feats of prowess, with each side attempting to outperform the other in dance virtuosity. The duel resulted in a spectacular show of dance ability and telegraphed a clear signal to the world of strength and resolve.
Kyiv City Ballet
September 24 & 25, 2022
Auditorium Theatre
Chicago, IL
