With the situation in Ukraine so dire for so long, the Grand Kyiv Ballet didn’t want to add to the sadness. So when they dance “Swan Lake” on Oct. 25 at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven and at the Warner Theatre in Torrington on Oct. 29, Tchaikovsky’s ballet will have a happy ending. That’s right, the swan doesn’t perish.
The dance company’s artistic director Oleksandr Stoianov calls the happier ending “a present for Ukrainians who live in the United States. We want audiences to associate our country not just with a war but with good emotions.”
The choice is neither sacrilege nor unprecedented. Twists on the tragic ending of “Swan Lake,” in which its cursed lovers unite in the afterlife or otherwise rise to dance again have been around for ages. Upbeat twists on famous tragedies extend beyond ballet — there are alternate versions of “Romeo & Juliet” that extend back to that play’s earliest days.
Ukraine’s Grand Kyiv Ballet looks to spread beauty and joy through its “Swan Lake,” which uses a brighter ending for the Tchaikovsky classic. (Courtesy of the Shubert Theatre)
Grand Kyiv Ballet has also tweaked its production of “Giselle” (which was performed in Newtown on Oct. 17) so that it emphasizes the sunrise at the end of the dance rather than the characters’ spirits returning to their graves.
Stoianov has also made sure that there are several bright, colorful and comic ballets in the Grand Kyiv repertoire alongside “Swan Lake” and “Giselle,” including “Bolero,” “Don Quixote” and the children’s stories “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” and “Sleeping Beauty.”
“We have to bring just good emotions. We must bring our art and our energy,” Stoianov said.
The Ukrainian dancers choose to spread joy and cheer in the face of heartbreak and adversity, but they are among those suffering. Most are unable to return to their homeland and families.
“Not everybody gets home. We can’t come to Ukraine now,” Stoianov said. “We have two bases: Poland, close to the Ukraine border, and in the U.S. in Washington State.”
Grand Kyiv Ballet’s “Swan Lake.” (Courtesy of Shubert Theatre)
Stoianov now lives in Seattle. He founded the Grand Kyiv Ballet 11 years ago. Last year, he retired from dancing due to an injury but before that he was not only creating the productions but starring in some of them.
Many but not all of the Grand Kyiv Ballet dancers come from Ukraine, Grand Kyiv Ballet oversees three separate companies that crisscross the U.S. and the world.
Stoianov is excited to play the Shubert Theatre and the Warner Theatre, two grand old Connecticut theaters with big stages ideal for ballet. “In Ukraine we have old classic theaters like that. It’s what the company is used to.”
All the Grand Kyiv Ballet productions have universally recognized classical ballet styles but are also infused with classical and contemporary Ukrainian dance techniques. Stoianov said his production of “The Snow Queen” is “50/50 classical and modern.”
“We were on tour when the war started,” Stoianov said. “Our families are now safe in other countries.”
The company has not been performing in Ukraine since the war began. “Before the war, there had been a lot of tours in small cities there, and we would like to bring our company back when we can,” Stoianov said.
For now, Grand Kyiv Ballet is bringing in its dances throughout the U.S., making a point of including cities that wouldn’t ordinarily be getting visits by international dance companies.
“We try to show ballet in small cities,” Stoianov said. “Everybody should see beautiful art.”
The Grand Kyiv Ballet’s production of “Swan Lake” will be performed on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Shubert Theatre, 247 College St., New Haven ($59.50-$129.70; shubert.com) and Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. at the Warner Theatre’s Oneglia Auditorium, 68 Main St., Torrington ($60-$83; warnertheatre.org).
