Rejuvenating Ballet – A Tour through Ukraine
Across the country, theatres are slowly reopening and hosting performances. This month, Oleksandr Stoianov and Ekaterina Kukhar will be touring Ukraine along with an ensemble from Kyiv. They will visit 20 cities with a double-bill of Carmen Suite and Scheherazade This is Stoianov’s first tour since the beginning of COVID-19.
Since 2015, Stoianov has produced his own shows both at his home-theatre in Kyiv and on tour. Touring productions throughout Ukraine and abroad are usually led by Stoianov and his wife, Kukhar, supported by a cast from Kyiv. Their performances are a treat for audiences everywhere, especially in the hands of such high calibre artists such as Stoianov and Kukhar, who bring emotional depth and aesthetic harmony to each performance. However, the opportunity is also meaningful for the dancers who accompany them on these tours. Many of these dancers haven’t had the chance to perform since the beginning of COVID-19 and the chance to travel and perform on different stages is appealing for any performing artist.
The double-bill of one-acts features Carmen Suite and Scheherazade. In keeping with quarantine regulations, both include a relatively small cast but offer an eruption of passionate emotions. Carmen Suite with Bizet’s music arranged by Schedrin was one of the first contemporary ballets created in the Soviet Union, commissioned by Cuban choreographer Alberto Alonso and championed by the legendary ballerina Maya Plisetskaya. Full of symbolism, it conjures an iconic atmosphere of archetypes straddling Cervantes and Soviet society. Scheherazade was a revelation in Paris in the summer of 1910. Choreographed by Michel Fokine, its colourful Arabian-fantasy setting concedes forbidden indulgences through the sweeping romanticism of Rimsky-Korsakov’s score.
Tour Schedule:
2.10 Kropivnitsky, 3.10 Cherkasy, 5.10 Sumy, 6.10 Chernihiv, 26.10 Rivne, 27.10 Lutsk, 28.10 Chernivtsi, 29.10 Frankivsk, 30.10 Uzhgorod, 31.10 Ternopil
