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In the canon of art, what tops the bill? In theatre, is it King Lear? In painting, is it Rembrandt’s self-portrait as a vulnerable old man? In sculpture, is it Michelangelo’s David? In architecture, is it the Sydney Opera House? In poetry, is it Sonnet 31? In fiction, is it Emma? In film, is it The Quiet Girl? In music, is it Moonlight Sonata? In contemporary dance, is it Kunstkamer? . . . In ballet it is SWAN LAKE..
While the public reaction to its 1877 Bolshoi premiere was unenthusiastic, has there ever been a masterwork that has inspired more budding dancers to enter the magical world of ballet than SWAN LAKE.
Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky’s great-grandfather, Fyodor Chaika (chaika is seagull in Ukrainian) was a Zaporizhian Cossak (Zaporizhia is a large city in southwestern Ukraine). Fyodor Chaika distinguished himself in the historic Battle of Poltava, 1709.
Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky’s grandfather, Pyotr Fedorovich Tchaikovsky, was born in Milokayivka, an important shipbuilding centre and transportation hub in southern Ukraine.
His grandfather changed the original family name Chaika to the more noble-sounding Tchaikovsky, and eventually led his family out of Ukraine.
In the world of ballet, is there a starker portrayal of an oligarch, than in the conniving Baron von Rothbart? Is there a more poignant telling of freedom usurped, than in the story of the Baron snatching Odette’s soul? Is there a more hopeful end to travail, than in Siegfried’s restoration of Odette’s integrity? Is there a more urgent narrative in the world today?
Prima ballerina, Igone de Jongh, was on tour with her two Ukrainian dance partners in February 2022 when the war broke out with a renewed ferocity. It had begun in 2014 with Putin and his retinue’s invasion of Ukraine.
Igone de Jongh, together with Matthijs Bongertman (Senf Theaterpartners) started to bring other Ukrainian dancers to the Netherlands, in order to give them a safe haven and to let them dance again. This initiative has resulted in The United Ukrainian Ballet Foundation, of which The United Ukrainian Ballet Company is part.
The United Ukrainian Ballet brings Swan Lake to Australia. For those who delight in classical ballet, it does not get better than this. Performed with accomplished integrity, it pulsates nimbleness and radiates grace. And sparkles with sheer beauty.
SWAN LAKE captivates each generation of up-and-coming and seasoned dancers alike. The United Ukrainian Ballet’s production brings to thrilling life all that is so enduringly loved in this timeless masterpiece.
On the performance on the 28th November, Katrina Chebykina was a scintillating Odette/Odile; Oleksii Kniazkov handsomely played Prince Siegfried; Oleksij Grishum was the gruesome Rothbart; Ganna Surmina was the noble queen; Pavlo Zurnadzhi was the live-wire, larrikin jester; Viktor Lytvynenko played the tutor.
The United Ukrainian Ballet’s SWAN LAKE is playing Sydney’s ICC Theatre until 5th November, ahead of going to the Adelaide Festival Theatre 9-13 November.
Featured image : Kateryna Chebykina as Odette and Oleksii Kniazkov as Prince Siegfried Corps de Ballet of The United Ukrainian Ballet. Pic Ben Vella
