La Fille mal gardee, a notable English ballet, will be performed at the National Opera of Ukraine in Kyiv for the first time after a cultural boycott of Russian ballets. Fundraising efforts led by former Royal Ballet star Ivan Putrov and sculptor Antony Gormley helped launch this production. The Ukrainian government aims to distance itself from Russian cultural ties, particularly after the pro-war actions of dancers in Russian-occupied territories. The ballet is expected to run for five years and represents a significant cultural shift amidst ongoing conflict.
Originally a French ballet by Jean Dauberval, Ashton's choreography, first staged in 1960, turned La Fille mal gardee into one of the best-loved English ballets, featuring slapstick humour, a maypole and traditional folk dance.
The artistic director of ballet at the National Opera of Ukraine, Nobuhiro Terada, said the issue was sensitive, but that the turning point had come when dancers at the Donetsk Opera and Ballet theatre in Russian-occupied Ukraine performed the shape of a Z, a pro-war symbol, in the autumn of 2022.
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