Kyiv City Ballet, also called Kiev City Ballet, is an independent touring ballet troupe from Ukraine, currently operating from Paris, France.[1][2][3]
Background
Kyiv City Ballet was founded in 2012 by Ivan Kozlov who currently serves as the company's general director.[4][5] The associate director is Ekaterina Kozlova.[5] The rehearsal director is Mykhaylo Shaherbakov.[5] While in refuge during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the group is operating from Paris, France.[3]
Repertoire
In December 2023, according to the group's website, the ensemble was working on a project called "Boys from Kyiv."[4] Their repertoire in December 2023 was listed as:
In January, 2023, the National Opera of Ukraine, based in Kyiv, issued a statement that touring ballet groups with names similar to the National Opera of Ukraine are not official affiliates.[18] The National Opera of Ukraine's statement directly referenced "Kyiv City Ballet" as a group that does not represent the National Opera of Ukraine.[18]
In their statement, the National Opera of Ukraine emphasized their disagreement over performances of Russian composer Tchaikovsky's works, the Nutcracker and Swan Lake, during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.[18] This opinion is not universally shared in the Ukrainian music community, with others emphasizing Tchaikovsky's connection to Ukraine including Tchaikovsky's Ukrainian heritage, Ukrainian influences on Tchaikovsky's music, and Tchaikovsky's time spent in Ukraine.[19]