'Dance For Peace': Ukrainians And Russians Share The Stage For Swan Lake Performance
Originally published on March 4, 2022
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (WCCO) – While RBTheatre's performed "Swan Lake" at State Theatre in downtown Minneapolis Friday, another storyline was written on stage. The cast of 40+ put on the show, and every show on their 50-city tour, while cast members' home nation's waged war thousands of miles away.
"Every and each one of our cast and crew member has someone very important to them in Ukraine right now," said Producer Gulya Hartwick prior to Friday's show.
Known as Russian Ballet Theatre until Thursday, the group changed its name to avoid anti-Russian backlash.
"We are not affiliated with any government – we are self-funded, self-supported, self-everything," said Hartwick, who is from Latvia. "We dream about making more classical productions with modern twists and being able to invite and showcase the most talented dancers from all over the world."
The group now says they're a symbol of Ukrainians and Russians working together to create something beautiful.
— Adam Duxter (@AdamDuxter) March 5, 2022
"You forget about everything. You are in the fairytale," said Producer Gulya Hartwick.
Seriously, take a second to listen to this. #WCCO @WCCO pic.twitter.com/grkrFcir7h
The traveling theater company's multi-city tour began prior to the war in Ukraine and has left much of its cast juggling constant performance with checking on family back home.
"It's so sad," said Tsembenhoi Arno-Stin, a Kyiv native who plays the role of a jester. "Sometimes you get good news, sometimes you get bad news, you feel happy and mad and sad at the same time."
Arno-Stin says his sister, nephews, and mother have been able to flee to neighboring European countries. His grandmother, he says, is unable to leave Kyiv. Now, he says Russian soldiers make it impossible to get her the necessary medicines she needs.
Despite the cast's differing cultural backgrounds, they've worked together to promote a message of peace.
"The fact that they're together on one stage, creating something beautiful instead of destroying it is so meaningful by itself," Hartwick said. "I know how hard it is for them. They dance literally with tears in their eyes."
Still, they say it's necessary to continue putting on the show.
"Nobody from the audience should know about what's happening. You don't be able to show your emotional feelings. Everything bad and everyone crying on stage, crying and dancing is a little bit weird – it's not right," Arno-Stin said.
"We are taking you from the real world into our fairytale for two and a half hours. You need it. We all need it, so let us do it," Hartwick said.