The Grand Kyiv Ballet will perform the classical ballet "Giselle" at Wichita's Orpheum Theatre on Saturday, March 23.
First performed in 1841 with music from French composer Adolphe Adam, the piece is a tale of love, betrayal, and, ultimately, hope.
Principal dancers Kateryna Kukhar and Oleksandr Stoianov have made Seattle their temporary home after the 2022 Russian invasion of their home country of Ukraine. At the time, Kukhar was in Berlin with students from the Kyiv State Ballet College while Stoianov was in France for a performance.
Although they had intended to return home, it quickly became apparent that they could not. The couple's children were still in Ukraine at the time and were ultimately evacuated.
Through the help of family and friends, Kukhar and Stoianov were able to find safety in the U.S., though many of their relatives remained behind.
A portion of the proceeds from Saturday's performance will go toward renovation efforts for the Kyiv State Choreographic College.
Kukhar and Stoianov recently spoke with KMUW about their lives in the U.S., the timelessness of "Giselle" and their hopes for the future of Ukraine.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How have you been since relocating to Seattle?
Kateryna Kukhar: It's a difficult situation for us. [Just recently] 16 people died in Odessa. It's difficult to deal with this situation every day. We are really glad that our children are in a safe place, and we are thankful for our friend Vera Altunina [artistic director at the International Ballet Academy in Washington state] who invited us to stay and who gave our children an opportunity to have a school and protect their mental health.
"Giselle" feels like a very appropriate piece for this moment in time.
KK: We try to focus on the future. That's why "Giselle" [is important]. At the end of the story there's a sunrise and this is like a symbol for all Ukrainian people. All darkness will disappear. Every dark and dangerous thing will disappear, and our children will have a good future in Ukraine.
We would like to present the audience with something emotional. They came to the theater, and a theater is like a church. You bring all your troubles, all the heavy things on your shoulders. You can just relax and listen to the beautiful classical music. You can watch the perfect ballet movements and get a piece of another life. It's very important for us to provide some answers to the questions the audience members have inside them. Somebody will cry. Somebody will feel excitement. Somebody will go back home and create something new. When you're at the performance and you feel all these things, your mind and your soul and your heart become purified.
What is your hope for the future of Ukraine?
Oleksandr Stoianov: We think about it every day. Before the war started, we created a new cultural program, a ballet program, and we started to tour to different Ukrainian cities, small cities because many Ukrainians who lived in small cities had never seen professional classical ballet. And after our performances, they would come backstage, crying, and saying, "Thank you so much." In my memory, one woman, she was more than 80 years old, told me, "I had never seen a ballet. Can you please come again?" It really touched our hearts and our souls.
[We hope to] come back to Ukraine and start to rebuild our culture. Not just our cities. Now we have a lot of [support in the U.S.] for Ukraine, and I hope that we will rebuild our country. We will also rebuild our culture.
KK: We will repair our soul and our mind and [build a better future].
OS: It will take a long time to rebuild everything, but we can do it.
