Last weekend, I had the chance to see Kyiv City Ballet perform at Davidson College near Charlotte, NC, and write about it for The Ballet Herald, a wonderful online magazine. Cherilyn Lee, the mag’s founder and editor, was with me at the School of American Ballet back in the ‘80s. We’d lost touch over the years but reconnected last year when she interviewed me about the publication of Being a Ballerina. When I discovered that this ballet company from Ukraine, which has made dance world headlines after being stranded on an endless tour because of the Russia/Ukraine combat, would be appearing in US cities along the eastern seaboard, including one that’s only a two hour drive from Asheville, I immediately wanted to go. My next thought was of wanting to share what I saw and felt if I did get to see them.
I emailed Cherilyn, asking if she’d be interested in a review of the company for The Ballet Herald. She not only replied with enthusiasm, but managed to wrangle me a press ticket for what was advertised as a sold-out show.
As you’ll read, I found Kyiv City Ballet impressive, the atmosphere exciting and the crowd good-naturedly boisterous. I sat next to a woman chaperoning a gaggle of teenage girls who are in a local competition dance studio, relatively uninterested in ballet itself, but captivated by the international intrigue this company carried. They, along with everyone else in the packed house, were on their feet multiple times throughout the evening.
|