The United Ukrainian Ballet, a troupe of elite ballet dancers who had been uprooted by the conflict in Ukraine, put on a magnificent performance at the Taipei Music Center. and a yearning for liberty. The audience enjoyed the dancing group's performance, and they also aim to urge the world to support peace and pay attention to Ukraine's predicament.
The United Ukrainian Ballet Dances for Peace and Freedom in Taiwan for the First stop of Tour in Asia.Photo reproduced from United Ukrainian Ballet Facebook
Igone de Jongh, a former dancer with the Dutch National Ballet, founded the United Ukrainian Ballet. The goal is to assist Ukrainian ballet dancers who have been displaced by the Ukrainian-Russian War, generate money for the dancers, relocate a sizable number of dancers to the Netherlands, and establish a fund to care for their needs.
The United Ukrainian Ballet's sole goal, according to its producer Paul Godfrey, is to dissolve the troupe as quickly as possible. He anticipates the war to ends quickly so the dancers can return to their hometowns. On the globe tour, he will continue to direct the dancers in the conventional manner of a professional dance troupe.
The United Ukrainian Ballet Dances for Peace and Freedom in Taiwan for the First stop of Tour in Asia.Photo reproduced from Nien-Tai Ma Facebook
Oleksii Kniazkov, the lead dancer of the United Ukrainian Ballet stated, "People in the hometown in Ukraine is still facing air raid warnings and need to go into shelters to avoid danger from time to time. As an artist, what I look forward to most is to continue my artistic work, so I am very grateful for the opportunity keep up with
ballet training."
The United Ukrainian Ballet Dances for Peace and Freedom in Taiwan for the First stop of Tour in Asia.Photo reproduced from Nien-Tai Ma Facebook
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This time, choreographer Alexei Ratmansky's most recent piece "Wartime Elegy" was one of the pieces performed in Taiwan. Ratmansky works closely with the troupe, the United Ukrainian Ballet had performed it after the Northwest Ballet's world debut in 2023, in Taiwan, the troupe gave their first performance in Asia.
Ratmansky transformed the exquisite repertoire into a love letter to the Ukrainian people, asking for a peaceful future, using the music of Ukrainian modern composer Valentin Silvestrov in combination with classic Ukrainian melodies.
