On a Sunday in late August, Dutch ballet master Linus Splong, with whom they work, was leading a corporate class outdoors in front of the Russian embassy – a ballet class as a public protest. .
With time and effort, the group has come a long way, Ratmanskys agreed.And there’s something special about their dance, they said. “Compared to their Russian colleagues, who are overwhelmed by the rules of how to behave on stage, they are freer, a little more realistic, more lively,” said Ratmansky.
This was proved by the first trial performance of Giselle on 13 August in Alphen aan den Rhein, a small city about 30 minutes from The Hague. The dancers, some still in costume, others in plain clothes, sang the Ukrainian national anthem. Ratmansky raised a large Ukrainian flag. The audience and those on stage were moved to tears. On the bus back to The Hague, the dancers listened to Ukrainian songs. Many people sang along.
The next day, the Ratmanski family will fly to Seattle, where he plans to create a new work. The Pacific is the first production since the Invasion for his Northwest ballet company, which premieres on September 23rd.
Ratmanski is known for the dynamism and wit of ballet, his belief in the expressive power of classical dance, and his ability to elicit technically stimulating, dramatic and nuanced performances from his dancers. His career has spanned from revivals of forgotten works, including Shostakovich’s ballet The Bright Stream for the Bolshoi, to 2006’s Russian Seasons, for New York City Ballet, and his Shostakovich Trio. He presented his works to the American Ballet Theatre. Since 2014, he has also deciphered and brought to life the musical notation that was created shortly after the ballet was first performed, bringing to life classics such as “Sleeping Beauty” and “Swan Lake.” I have a strong interest in recreating the style and steps of .