Faced with the war in Ukraine, solidarity is organized in Europe also in the field of culture. The Kiev City Ballet finds refuge in France. At the request of the mayor of Paris, he is welcomed in residence at the Théâtre du Châtelet for an indefinite period.
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They are between 18 and 32 years old and are in France to dance Nutcracker when war breaks out in their country. ” When we are on stage, we try not to think about the war, to remain professional, to show joy anyway, but once the show is over, the reality in Ukraine takes over, says Ivan Koslov, director of Kiev City Ballet. There is a lot of concern for the older people who stayed there and have no possibility of leaving.. »
Thirty-two Ukrainian dancers, soon thirty-seven are welcomed in residence at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. ” We are really very happy to be under a peaceful sky while thinking of our families who are at war, continues Ivan Koslov. It’s really a chance to be able to exercise our art in complete freedom.. »
Their future is uncertain, but the city of Paris undertakes to support them as long as they wish.
” There is the symbol, there is the reality, the words, the acts; it also means that it is a call to other theaters that can engage in this active, urgent solidarity where we cannot compromise and not wait for the worst, sadness, despair to set in with a inability to act, declares Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota, the director of the theater of the City. We may not change the course of things, but as Albert Camus said: we do our job by remaining human beings in our own humanity.. »
The Kiev City Ballet in residence at the Châtelet in Paris offers an evening in support of the Ukrainian people on Tuesday March 8. The proceeds will be entirely donated to the Acted associations and the Red Cross.