As the Russian war in Ukraine continues, a group of refugees in The Hague, Netherlands, have used their talents to preserve Ukrainian culture and raise awareness of the plight of their country.
The United Ukrainian Ballet was founded shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine just over a year ago. At the time, two Ukrainian dancers, Stanislav Olshanskyi and Alexis Tuttunique, were touring with Dutch prima ballerina Igone de Jongh and the pair took refuge in The Hague with the help of fellow dancers, according to the nonprofit ballet company’s website. .
With the help of organizations such as the Salvation Army and Senf Theaterpartners, a Dutch production company, arrangements were made for a group of Ukrainian dancers and their families to find shelter and training in the Netherlands. Stefan Stolk, producer and director of operations of the United Ukrainian Ballet, told DailyExpertNews.
Stolk, who works for Senf Theatepartners, said the company had connections with ballet companies in the Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Lviv, and was able to get in touch with dancers and inform them of the safe haven.
The ballet company and its partners, including the mayor of The Hague Jan van Zanen, were able to temporarily secure and renovate the former Hague Conservatory, which was scheduled to be demolished, as a location to house refugees and continue their ballet education.
Initially, the conservatory only housed female dancers and their families, because Ukraine was not allowed to allow men aged 18 to 65 to travel out of the country. By mid-April 2022, they had about 35 to 40 wives, Stolk told DailyExpertNews.
At its peak, the conservatory housed more than 200 refugees, 70 to 75 of them dancers, he added. Today the company still houses more than 60 dancers.
An outlet in a dark time: Stolk said many dancers came with a heavy weight on their hearts, but once they started training again, “you saw everyone forget all the sorrows and problems.”
“I thought, ‘This is what we’re working on, this is what we’re doing.’ It was really breathtaking,” he told DailyExpertNews.
Later in 2022, the company received special permission from the Ukrainian government, with the help of Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska, to admit some young men to the company. Stolk said the government approved the exception in an effort to “keep alive the story of Ukraine and Ukrainian culture”.
As the number of refugees grew, a foundation was established to support and support the project’s efforts.
Bringing Ukraine to the World: Since last March, the company has performed all over the world, a feat that would take the average company years to stage. With the help of renowned choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, dancers have performed “Gisele” in the Netherlands, London, Singapore and the United States, with plans to perform another show in Taiwan and other countries later this year.
“Bringing the story of Ukraine, and that’s basically what the mission is,” said Stolk. “We know one thing, if we get to perform there in a certain country, we’ll be on the front page, and this helps keep this all alive.”
Stolk said it is important to show the world that Ukraine is more than just the war.
The company is also trying to ensure that a generation of Ukrainian dancers is not forgotten, as a dancer’s career usually only lasts about 10 years and many were already stifled by Covid-19 shutdowns before war broke out.
“It would be a completely forgotten generation of dancers, and now we’re giving them wings,” Stolk said.
A painful anniversary: While the troupe’s triumphs encourage the refugees, the war still weighs heavily on the dancers, as they are reminded of the war daily through contact with loved ones in Ukraine. Last week was the anniversary of the Russian invasion, and the dancers of the ballet company asked to use the old conservatory’s main stage to perform and be together as a form of support.
They said “we want to have a day together,” Stolk said. They performed Ukrainian folk dances, sang and read poems, and “nobody could keep their eyes dry.”
The company’s latest show, “Dancing in Defiance”, focuses more on the Ukrainian dancers and features three performances. The first performance “Wartime Elegy” has been described as a celebration of Ukrainian culture. Stolk said it is choreographer Kamansty’s reaction to the war. The music composed for the show also takes influence from Ukrainian folk music.
“It’s a tribute to joy,” Stolk told DailyExpertNews. “The people are still there. They are resilient.”
