Grand Kyiv Ballet Tour stops in Boston, fundraising for war recovery efforts

WBUR | November 29, 2024

“The Nutcracker” follows a young girl named Clara who receives a beautiful nutcracker for Christmas from her uncle Drosselmeyer at her family’s party. She drifts off to sleep and wakes in the magical world that exists below her Christmas tree. There, a living nutcracker prince fights wicked rats and sweets representing different cultures welcome her to their dreamy realm.

Typically, the ballet includes Chinese, Spanish and Russian dances when Clara visits the Land of the Sweets. The Grand Kyiv Ballet swapped out the Russian dance for a traditional Ukrainian performance, reclaiming their identity and artistry amid the ongoing war between the countries.

The Grand Kyiv Ballet will bring “The Nutcracker” and a new production called “The Snow Queen” to Emerson Colonial Theatre on Nov. 29 and 30. A portion of the proceeds from these performances will go towards repairing the children’s dormitory and other restoration efforts at Kyiv State Ballet College.

Oleksandr Stoianov, founder and former principal dancer, started The Grand Kyiv Ballet in 2014 with 45 dancers. The company has since grown to include more than 120 dancers and put on more than 500 performances across the globe every year.

Stoianov explained that many Ukrainian dancers performed in Russian companies before the Grand Kyiv Ballet began. He started the company during Russia’s occupation of Crimea to create a place for Ukrainian dancers to work in their home country.

Stoianov explained that ballet students have struggled immensely with disruptions to their education from the pandemic and then war.

“Ukrainian ballet artists have faced a series of changes of course because of the devastating impact of the war, and not just dancers, students also. For the ballet students, it was very difficult period,” he said.

He added that air raid sirens alerting students of Russian attacks would go off five to seven times a day. Students would need to abruptly stop what they were doing and take shelter in the basement.

Before war began, Kyiv State Ballet College desperately needed renovations and garnered funding. After the invasion, the government reallocated the money to combat Russia.

“It’s huge, huge old buildings, which never was renovated,” said Stoianov. “And when war started, this building was without heating, without like windows, without anything. It was terrible situation.”

These traveling shows are a chance to help restore the academy to a safe place for learning. Stoinaov and his wife have also put on charity performances as professional dancers themselves to raise money for different organizations supporting restorative efforts in Ukraine, including Kyiv State Ballet College.

Along with supporting the future of ballet in Ukraine, audiences are in for magnificent performances with a traditional take on “The Nutcracker” and the world premiere of “The Snow Queen,” said Stoianov.

“The Snow Queen” is inspired by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen’s 1844 fairytale of the same name. In the ballet, Kai and Gerda wander a garden when a broken piece of a witch’s mirror gets into Kai’s eye and his heart grows cold and evil. The Snow Queen takes him to her lair, and Gerda embarks on a journey to save him and break the queen’s spell. The story may sound familiar as Disney’s “Frozen” is loosely based on the same tale.

“People really love it, and this is nice performance for Christmas time,” said Stoianov.

Stoinaov explained that many ballet dancers use their art as a vessel to draw attention to the tragedies of the war.

“Russia never destroyed our culture,” he said. “They never destroyed our art, and our art and our ballet will be alive for the future.”