Ukrainian International Ballet: "INdependent24" premières in The Hague
In 2022, in the months following Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, a new ballet company The United Ukrainian Ballet was founded in The Hague, The Netherlands by former principal dancer of the Dutch National Ballet, Igone De Jongh. The company consisted of over sixty refugee dancers from different Ukrainian companies and regions and they earned national and international interest and recognition when they collaborated with Alexei Ratmansky, who staged for them his historical production of Giselle, which they toured worldwide. However, despite a very successful first season, the company closed earlier this year in March. Many of the dancers have since gone elsewhere and some have remained in The Hague. Luckily, none of this stopped those who remained in The Hague from restarting the project.
On the 25th August 2024, the première performance of Ukrainian International Ballet took place at the Korzo Theater in The Hague. The Ukrainian International Ballet is a new company that was founded by two dancers from the United Ukrainian Ballet - Kseniia Novikova and Vladyslava Kovalenko. Kseniia is the company’s Executive Manager and Vladyslava is the Artistic Director, and the pair were able to establish the new company with the help of the United Ukrainian Ballet Foundation. The aim of Ukrainian International Ballet is to continue the mission of its predecessor to promote and preserve Ukrainian ballet and dance culture. After several months of preparation, they have taken the first steps in the revival of their important mission.
For their première performance, they presented a new work entitled INdependent24, a double-bill performance of two contemporary works that create a bridge between Ukrainian and Dutch culture, and was performed by ten dancers - Kseniia Novikova, Vladyslava Kovalenko, Iryna Khutorianska, Dmytro Borodai, Oleksii Gogidze, Marat Ragimov, Dmytro Tkachenko, Yaroslava Zhyvolup, Anastasiia Levkut and Oryna Purymova.
The first work is Project-Emotions, a new piece by company member Dmytro Borodai, who serves as both dancer and choreographer. This is the second piece that Dmytro has created for the company: his first piece was Soul Vibrations, a contemporary piece for six male dancers choreographed to the song Water Poem by American singer and musician RamDass, which premièred in The Netherlands last December. Project-Emotions marked Dmytro and RamDass’s second collaboration as another composition by the latter, The Heart and the Matter, was one of the several music pieces used.
As described in the performance programme:
“This piece explores the spectrum of human emotions through dynamic dance, encouraging the audience to reflect on their feelings. The choreography provokes a journey through various moods, offering a deep introspective experience.”
This brief synopsis sums up the piece perfectly. Dmytro proves himself as an acclaimed choreographer who accomplishes what he sets out to achieve. The emotions that the piece brings to the surface through dance centres around a special guest performer, who is at the heart of the piece - Andrii Siromakha, a Ukrainian soldier and war hero who was seriously injured on the front and lost his right arm and leg. His injuries left him in a wheelchair and he is now based in The Netherlands, where he initially came for rehabilitation. The piece opens with Andrii at a desk while a projector shows the moving images from a train journey. The dancers emerge dressed in black trousers and blazers for the opening dance number. This is followed by several parts, including a second group dance in which the dancers wear masks; a male duet performed by Dmytro and Oleksii Gogidze; a solo for Andrii, which include motifs and movements where he brings attention to his lost limbs; a comic theatrical piece with acting and dance brilliantly performed by Oleksii Gogidze in drag, and the finale in which the dancers and Andrii perform to the music of Ukrainian artist DakhaBrakha. The ending sees the 11 performers group together with Andrii speaking a closing dialogue with a powerful message, “Don’t let problems defeat you. You have enough power and beauty inside to manage this.”
The title Project-Emotions could not have suited this piece more. While watching the piece, one could feel the range of different emotions that Dmytro was aiming to bring the surface. Sitting in my seat, I could feel sadness, sorrow, fear and compassion, to name a few, during the first half, followed by laughter provoked by the comic part, and a true sense of joy brought about by the upbeat finale. From a choreographic perspective, Dmytro successfully brought a combination of elements that are typical of contemporary Dutch repertoire, especially the theatrical elements of acting and spoken dialogue, and his own artistic elements that reflect his abilities and individuality as a choreographer, proving he has plenty of talent.
The second work is de/het/één by Dutch choreographer Richèl Wieles, a classical and contemporary dancer and choreographer and a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire, who has worked with various companies, including Nederlands Dans Theater 2, Slovenian National Ballet and Ballet Ireland, and is now based as ballet master in Germany.
As described in the programme:
“This ballet uses dance to advocate for humanity and hope in the face of adversity. It reflects on the idea of trust and fear of the unknown through the lens of Ukrainian dancers moving to The Netherlands. Their journey through this turbulent time, and the discoveries they made along the way.”
Richèl presents beautiful choreography that combines contemporary and classical elements, but just like with Project-Emotions, the word emotions is crucial here. This is enhanced by the choreography and the accompanying music, which featured voiceovers from the dancers describing their experiences of relocating to The Netherlands, how it differs from their native Ukraine, and how they have been made to feel welcome since their arrival two years ago.
Overall, INdependent24 presents two beautiful contemporary works that really speak to the audience about the journey of this company. The dancers did not disappoint either, with all ten of them giving a performance that was more than worthy of the two standing ovations that came after each act. They’ve already proven on many occasions to be fine artists with much to offer and in their première performance as this new ensemble, they’ve succeeded again. On a personal level, I have known this company since after I saw them in Giselle at the London Coliseum in September 2022 and as a friend of the company, another emotion surfaced when I was watching the performance - proud, proud of them for everything they’ve achieved, proud of them for not stopping and proud of them for how far they’ve come. When other people closed the door on United Ukrainian Ballet, Kseniia, Vladyslava and the others kept the door open, proving that no matter what the circumstances - whether it be financial problems or war - you can’t kill the dance.
In Kseniia’s own words from an interview with the Ukrainian TV channel TSNUA, “… We also want to show the strength of [the] Ukrainian spirit, that people don’t give up and that Ukraine doesn’t [give up], and that we keep going.” And they have. They have risen from the ashes and they’re making magic happen. While the Russian war in Ukraine still rages on, Ukrainian International Ballet are still fighting the cultural fight, remaining one of Ukraine’s strongest and brightest lights in these dark times. Their new slogan is magic is happening: well, their light is still shining and magic is definitely happening.
Phoenixes always rise from the ashes, especially Ukrainian phoenixes.
