Grand Kyiv Ballet bring magical ‘Snow Queen’ fairy tale to life with Ukrainian dancers, refugees
Grand Kyiv Ballet founder and artistic director Oleksandr Stoianov’s path into ballet started, surprisingly, with kickboxing.
Growing up, Stoianov and his older brother often fought with one another. So much so, their parents decided to enroll the boys in kickboxing classes so they could get out their aggression in a healthier way.
The only problem with that plan was that the boys were now fighting at home and during kickboxing classes. Things changed however when the younger Stoianov saw a ballroom dancing competition on television.
“Beautiful girls with beautiful boys with beautiful costumes, hairstyles and everything,” he said. “After this, I really loved the dance.”
Stoianov asked if he could take ballroom dance classes instead of kickboxing, and his parents agreed. After about six months of training, Stoianov placed in the top two in two competitions.
At the second competition, a retired ballet dancer who was watching the performances approached Stoianov’s parents and suggested he switch to ballet, having noticed the way Stoianov moved on the dance floor.
His father, a fan of ballet, thanked the man. Shortly thereafter, Stoianov was enrolled in the Kyiv State Choreographic College.
Stoianov quickly settled into ballet life and is happy he made the switch.
“I’m happy about this and I like this ballet dancer life,” he said. “Its stage – audiences can see your art – its applause and its touring all around the world. It’s a beautiful profession.”
Exploring another side of that profession, Stoianov founded the Grand Kyiv Ballet in 2014. He said this was a move made not with his brain but with his heart.
“It’s not very good for the business, but it’s very good for karma,” he said.
Stoianov was inspired to found the Grand Kyiv Ballet after Russia invaded his home of Crimea in 2014. Before the invasion, many dancers from the National Opera of Ukraine and Ukrainian ballet schools danced in Russian ballet companies.
Because of the heavy promotion the Russian ballet companies received, Stoianov said many were unaware of the ballet companies in Ukraine. He decided then to create a company composed of Ukrainian dancers.
In the early days of the company, there wasn’t a lot of money for set pieces and costumes, and Stoianov said the company made a lot of props by hand. The Grand Kyiv Ballet’s schedule included about 35 performances per year.
Fast forward 10 years and the company’s four troupes perform hundreds of times a year. One of those performances brings the company to the First Interstate Center for the Arts on Friday with “Snow Queen.”
“Snow Queen” begins after a wicked troll creates a magical mirror that shows only the worst aspects of the people and things it reflects. When the mirror breaks, the pieces end up spread across the world.
A young boy named Kai comes across one of those pieces and in turns sees everything as ugly. This viewpoint leads the Snow Queen, a powerful, cold-hearted ruler who brings winter wherever she goes, to take Kai to her icy palace.
The pure-hearted Gerda vows to rescue Kai from the Snow Queen, encountering trolls, robbers, palace courtiers and a cunning raven, plus some new friends, along the way. It’s Gerda’s hope that her hot tears of love will thaw Kai’s icy heart.
This performance is interpreted by the choreographic duo of Alexander Abdukarimov and Arshak Galumyan. “Snow Queen” is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name.
This United States tour marks the premiere of the show, which Stoianov said was created to give audiences another option for the holiday time along with “The Nutcracker.” The production is perfect for the whole family, he said, and features classical ballet with neoclassical ballet choreography.
“They can refine their soul and brain,” Stoianov said. “They can forget two hours about their problem. And of course, it’s not just about performance. If people will arrive to see our ballet, they also support Ukraine.”
Stoianov, his wife, fellow ballet dancer Kateryna Kukhar, and their two children found refuge in Issaquah about two years ago because of the war, connecting with frequent collaborator Vera Altunina, artistic director of the International Ballet Academy in Bellevue, who helped them get settled in.
As the head of the Kyiv State Ballet College, Kukhar returns to Ukraine every few months.
Stoianov said it’s important for the Grand Kyiv Ballet to represent Ukraine on an international level after Russian forces destroyed many cities, ballet schools and theaters in the country. Each performance is a step toward a new future for the country.
“We not just try to survive now in this difficult moment, we try to grow more and more because we have beautiful art,” he said. “We now create step by step for the future for our young students and dancers and Ukrainian people.”