It takes some getting used to hearing Russian all day long in the left wing of the former Royal Conservatoire, a large gray corridor complex that has been nominated for demolition. Since the end of May, this part of the Hague reception center for Ukrainian refugees has housed the Dutch Center for Ukrainian Dancers and The United Ukrainian Ballet Company (TUUBC), under the inspired leadership of ballet dancer Igone de Jongh. In July, the group was finally reinforced with male ballet dancers; after diplomatic assistance, they were allowed to follow their female colleagues. Although most of them speak Ukrainian among themselves, counting, correction and encouragement is now taking place in the old ballet studios and the theater hall – Odin, dva, tri – in the language of the aggressor. A necessary evil.
These weeks, seventy dancers from TUUBC are rehearsing at a complete Giselle (a romantic ballet classic from 1841) with the world-famous Russian-American ballet choreographer Alexei Ratmansky (1968, St. Petersburg). His parents and wife Tatiana are Ukrainian, yet the acclaimed choreographer expresses himself most accurately in Russian and English – Ratmansky has also been the resident choreographer of the American Ballet Theater since 2014. Since only a few of the TUUBC dancers speak English, Ratmansky begins in warm Ukrainian, then politely apologizes for switching to Russian.
There is work to be done, death scenes must be sharpened, the romance must burn and Albrecht’s betrayal towards Giselle must be felt hard. Ratmansky and his wife, who both cooperate unpaid, work on every detail and do whatever dynamics, musicality and mimicry they want to see expressed in the complex ballet variations.
‘Of course this is not yet a real ballet company. The war has forced these dancers together here. Cultivating a group feeling takes time’, explains Ratmansky (53), the day after intensive rehearsals of both acts from the piece. ‘Some dancers are closed, others open. Some learn faster than others. And they grapple with dramatic stories from the home front in different ways. But everyone works very hard to put down a high-quality performance. Make no mistake, Ukrainian ballet dancers come from a powerful classical tradition with renowned training and a renowned technique.’
The first try-out will start on Saturday 13 August in Alphen aan den Rijn. Then travels Giselle via Heerlen and Zwolle to Amsterdam to premiere in Carré on 23 August, the day before the celebration of Ukrainian Independence Day. The war then lasts exactly six months. In September, the group presents Giselle a week in London. Planning far ahead is difficult due to the unpredictable current events in Ukraine.
Alexei Ratmansky
The Russian-American choreographer Alexei Ratmansky (53) is renowned for his reinterpretations of 19th-century ballet classics. With his wife he searches all historical sources for earlier notations. Their goal: not a reconstruction but an enlivening of dynamics, musicality and expression. In 2019 they indicated new color at the Bolsjoy Giselle (Paris, 1841). Under Ratmansky’s artistic direction (2004-2008), the Bolshoy was twice voted best foreign ballet company by London dance critics.
The day after the Russian invasion on February 24, Ratmansky decided to leave Moscow with his wife and to sever all ties with ‘his’ Bolshoy. He canceled his Russian assignments, both at the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg. He would make a new version of that with Tatiana this spring The Pharaoh’s Daughter (1862) by Marius Petipa.
“As difficult and emotional as it may be, I can afford this decision with my international career and my second home in New York. Other artists in Russia are forced to remain silent. I’ve always felt like a cosmopolitan. But Putin has greatly fueled my familial and artistic connection with Ukraine with his war. My heart is there now. I dare not predict much, but I hope that after the wounds have healed, the country will come out stronger and prouder. That’s why it’s important this Giselle with this group of dancers. Ukrainian culture is still there. We exist!’
Ratmansky does realize how sensitive it is for this group to now The swanlake or The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, comparable to what Wagner’s music can evoke in Jewish people. ‘It is a delicate discussion for which I am still developing my political vocabulary on a daily basis. Of course Tchaikovsky has nothing to do with Putin and his war. His oeuvre should not be boycotted. But I understand the resistance. Putin can also make propaganda with them: you see, they are part of Russian culture.’
Artistic director Igone de Jongh (42) has doubts about what she can make public about the considerations of whether or not to meet requests from abroad to work with TUUBC there this autumn. The swanlake to dance. ‘Those titles sell better. And ballet dancers usually love nothing more than a swan lake dance, but they have to relate to the discussion about it in their home country. And Giselle has a French origin, which is less sensitive. This version, with many powerful female roles, will be beautiful anyway.’
Ratmansky also sees opportunities: ‘Ukrainian ballet culture has always been in the shadow of the Russian one. It’s time for the world to discover how important it is. I hope with this one Giselle to contribute to that renaissance.’
He is not surprised that ballet takes on such a striking political charge. “Russia takes every foreign dignitary to the Bolshoy to impress. China is doing the same with state ballets. And let’s face it, the West also sends its best dance companies on tour with heads of state to show how healthy and impressive its culture is.’
Before he rushes to a costume rehearsal of Giselle, asks Ratmansky to emphasize how unique and special this initiative is. ‘I don’t know of a comparable project worldwide. It is unimaginable what has been set up here in such a short time with united forces!’
giselle, by The United Ukrainian Ballet Company.
Choreography Alexei Ratmansky, artistic director Igone de Jongh.
13/8, Theater Castellum, Alphen a/d Rijn; 18/8, Theater Heerlen; 20/8, Theater De Spiegel, Zwolle; 22-23/8 (premiere), Royal Theater Carré, Amsterdam; 27-28/8, New Luxor Theater, Rotterdam; 13-17/9, Coliseum, London.
In the fall, TUUBC will tour Australia and Singapore. The company will then present a triptych in the Netherlands: choreographies by Jirí Kylián, Alexei Ratmansky and (subject to change) Paul Lightfoot and Sol León.
Elizaveta Gogidze (30) dances Giselle
‘As a soloist with the Ukrainian National Opera, I have danced Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, but never the title role. Giselle is a heavy role, you have to dance a lot of emotions. At first, as a sincere, romantic farm girl, she loves to dance. When she and Albrecht fall in love, Giselle doesn’t know that he is already betrothed as Count. She doesn’t see his deception coming at all. When the betrayal comes true, she loses her mind and dies of a broken heart. In the second act, the Wilis, who all died virgins, take Giselle from her grave to take revenge on Albrecht. I don’t see that as a metaphor for Ukraine, which will certainly rise again, but because of the war in my homeland I am extra sensitive on stage.
My father, mother and grandmother were dancers with Virsky, the famous national folk dance ensemble of Ukraine. My 21-year-old brother also dances in Giselle. My mother and grandmother are staying with an aunt in Germany, my father is in Kyiv. I call him every morning after I check the news.’
Vladyslava Kovalenko (24) dances Myrtha
“It was my mother’s dream that I would become a ballet dancer. That’s why I took ballet lessons when I was 10. Now I am a member of the corps de ballet of the Kyiv Ballet. My family is still in Kyiv. My friend is a doctor and works as a volunteer in the army, he has not experienced any catastrophes live yet, but I am very concerned. Normally it’s professional to separate this kind of private trouble from stage performance, but now I’m making it my strength. When I dance, I feel extra strong. That suits Myrtha, who also fights for the truth. She is a strong woman; as Queen of the Wilis, she takes revenge on male impostors, but does so in a clever way.
Alexei is a genius, he teaches us how to express the character role in every movement. Not with flashy gestures, but by imagining emotions. I think Myrtha herself has been insulted by men, that’s where her strength comes from.’
Alexis Tutunnique (28) dances Count Albrecht
‘This Ukrainian enclave in The Hague is my anti-depressant against the war. I think the Netherlands is very open. In addition, I can earn money here to buy bulletproof vests and helmets for my friends in Ukraine. The apartment of a friend where I was on holiday this summer has just been destroyed, those images make me angry and sad. But thank goodness I can dance here. My mother is here too, she is recovering from breast cancer and can now be a ballet master as a former dancer at Giselle. My grandfather and grandmother were also ballet dancers, my other grandfather was an opera singer. My father still lives in Kyiv; but he says he can defend himself with a gun.
I have danced Count Albrecht before, but never in this loving way. Alexei wants us not to fake. He asks us to really imagine who we are dancing. That feels great now.’
Oleksii Kniazkov (29) dances Count Albrecht
‘I come from a business family and started out as a ballroom dancer in competitions. When I was 13 I discovered more perspective in ballet. Now I am a soloist at the Kharkov National Opera. My family lives in the Donetsk region; I grew up in Kramatorsk. There I got used to soldiers in the streets. But all those years it was about small fights; now it is extremely much worse. Because of the war I was not able to dance for half a year, I first had to find my form here. Now I’m at my old level. When I dance, I don’t have time to follow the news on my phone. That helps. I like that in Alexei’s version, Albrecht really cares about Giselle, not just playing with her. This way I can represent my country with love and pride.’