Dance for Ukraine
Sunday 18 February 2024 at 6.30pm
- Ivan Putrov’s second Dance for Ukraine gala in support of his home country, Ukraine
- Featuring former Bolshoi Ballet superstar Olga Smirnova
- Stars of The Royal Ballet, Marianela Núñez, Martthew Ball and William Bracewell, and soloists from Ukrainian National Ballet to also perform
- Funds raised will support the arts in Ukraine, with a new production for Ukrainian National Ballet of Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée, the first British ballet to enter its repertoire
Ukrainian born dancer and former star of The Royal Ballet Ivan Putrov today announces Dance for Ukraine at The London Palladium on Sunday 18 February 2024, following the success of 2022’s gala that raised over £160,000 net for the Disaster Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
Bringing together a cast of international ballet stars, this year’s Dance for Ukraine comes ahead of the second anniversary of Russia’s illegal invasion and ongoing war. This special benefit gala will raise much needed funds to support young artists with grants towards their training. Additionally proceeds will be go to make a new ballet production for Ukrainian National Ballet of Sir Frederick Ashton’s La Fille mal gardĂ©e.Â
Featuring over 15 pieces performed by leading dancers from Dutch National Ballet, English National Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Ukrainian National Ballet and more, the evening will also include a performance by the ROH Songs for Ukraine Chorus conducted by Ukrainian/Canadian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson.
Selected repertoire and casting for Dance for Ukraine at The London Palladium
After the Rain
Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon
Performed by Marianela Nuñez & Lukas B. Brændsrød
Asuka
Choreographed by Asami Maki after Akiko Tachibana
Performed by Yuuri Hidaka & Tomoharu Yonekura
Carmen Suite
Choreographed by Alberto Alonso
Performed by Olga Smirnova & Denys Matvienko
Dying Swan
Choreographed by Mikhail Fokine
Performed by Olga Smirnova
Forest Song (pas de deux)
Choreographed by Vakhtang Vronsky
Performed by Olga Golytsia & Volodymyr Kutuzov
Gloria (pas de trois)
Choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan
Performed by Minju Kang, Joseph Taylor & Lorenzo Trossello
Gopak from Taras Bulba
Choreographed by Rostislav Zakkharov
Performed by Volodymyr Kutuzov
La Fille mal gardée (pas de ruban)
Choreographed by Frederick Ashton
Performed by Sabīne Strokša & Philip Fedulov
Le Corsaire (pas de trois)
Choreographed by Marius Petipa after Joseph Mazilier
Performed by Marianna Tsembenhoi, Luca Acri & Vladyslav Bosenko
Metamorphosis
Choreographed by David Dawson
Performed by Sangeun Lee & Gareth Haw
Preliwd – World Premiere
Choregraphed by Andrew McNicol
Performed by William Bracewell
Two x Two
Choreographed by Russell Maliphant
Performed by Grace Jabbari & Ivan Putrov
Further repertoire and casting to be confirmed. Subject to change.
Of Dance for Ukraine, Ivan Putrov said: “It is a privilege for us in the UK to bring a little light, hopefully, to the people of Ukraine. I am thankful to all the artists, creatives and organisations that have donated their services to this cause, and I am proud Olga has chosen to come to our gala in support of Ukraine and make her first appearance in London since leaving Russia. It has always been a dream of mine to bring La Fille mal gardée to Ukraine and I am thrilled it will become the first British ballet to enter the repertoire of Ukrainian National Ballet for audiences to enjoy for years to come.”
Nobuhiro Terada, Artistic Director of Ballet at the of the National Opera House of Ukraine said: “Despite this terrible war, we are continuing to perform and are striving to keep the spirits of our dancers and our audiences high. I can’t imagine a more inspiring way to do this than to add this most delightful and heart-warming gem of British ballet to our repertoire. We are hugely grateful to all of those working to make this possible. We send our thanks and gratitude to Jean Pierre Gasquet, for his generosity, to all of the artists taking part and, of course, to the audience for their support.”
Internationally renowned dancer Ivan Putrov was born in Kyiv, Ukraine and trained at The Kyiv State Choreographic Institute before moving to The Royal Ballet School. Following his training he joined The Royal Ballet and was promoted to Principal after just three seasons. Throughout his career he has danced lead roles in all the classics on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, winning numerous awards for his performances.
The first Dance for Ukraine, held at the London Coliseum in 2022, was directed by Ivan Putrov and the international ballet star Alina Cojocaru, who trained in Kyiv. The gala featured a huge range of world-renowned dancers and sold out within 48 hours, raising much needed funds to support those in desperate need following the onset of the war.
Dance for Ukraine is produced by the charity Inspiration in Motion (Charity number 1167669), that promotes dance and the performing arts, with a particular focus on commissioning and supporting new dance works, as well as looking for opportunities to broaden audiences for dance and support education and training.