The United Ukrainian Ballet Company - Dancing in Defiance
The United Ukrainian Ballet Company consists of more than 60 refugee Ukrainian dancers who fled their homeland after the outbreak of war. Each dancer has his/her own story of how they reached safety to join the company based in The Hague.
After the successful performance of Giselle, the company brings their second performance Dancing in Defiance. A unique triple bill featuring the work of today’s leading choreographers; Alexei Ratmansky (Wartime Elegy), Jiří Kylián (Falling Angels) and Sol Léon and Paul Lightfoot (Step Lightly).
Alexei Ratmansky - Wartime Elegy
Wartime Elegy is Ratmansky’s first new ballet since that war began. Although the choreographer is a vocal opponent of Putin’s invasion, this work is not overtly political. Instead, the tender dance, performed to both Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov’s haunting music for piano and strings, and sprightly traditional folk music, is a love letter to the Ukrainian people – a tribute to the joy they find in their distinct culture, to their resilient strength and to their hope for a peaceful future.
Jiří Kylián - Falling Angels
Falling Angels is a work for eight women. It was conceived as a somewhat light-hearted homage to female performers. Choreographically, this piece is a study of the two most opposing properties of any art work: discipline and freedom. The eight women dance in this work from start to finish. They never leave the stage. Their interdependence, and their wish to break out is evident throughout the entire piece.
Sol Léon and Paul Lightfoot - Step Lightly
Step Lightly marked the beginning of the collaboration between León and Lightfoot. Their greatest and most important influence was the emotive singing of Bulgarian women; they sang in chorus about the seasons and nature for generations. You can hear in their singing both strength and vulnerability. This fact inspired León and Lightfoot to create a world that complements the power of nature. The six dancers portray both those family ties and the unity they feel together.
