THE UNITED UKRAINIAN BALLET FOUNDATION

The United Ukrainian Ballet Foundation’ is founded to protect, support and spread the Ukrainian culture that has come under great pressure since the war. The foundation was established in solidarity with the Ukrainian cultural world and in support of the Ukrainian people.

The United Ukrainian Ballet Foundation supports ‘The United Ukrainian Ballet Company’, a ballet company that initiates projects and activities that contribute to the mission described above. In addition, the foundation provides financial support that makes the production and presentation of an artistic program possible. The responsibility of these programs is given to direct partner ‘Senf Theaterpartners’ who will produce on a short-term basis, with the possible ending of the war in mind.

The foundation aims to contribute to providing training, employment and perspective for Ukrainian dancers who have fled, so that they can – as soon as the situation allows it – immediately continue their cultural activities in their own country. These activities take place in the ‘Dutch Centre for Ukrainian Dancers’ in The Hague.

In the longer term, the foundation will continue to work to raise funds and donations to support Ukraine in the reconstruction of the destroyed cultural heritage after the end of the war. The foundation operates on a non-profit basis.

By giving space to an important part of Ukrainian culture – dance and ballet – the foundation aims to guard and protect the country’s identity.

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THE UNITED UKRAINIAN BALLET COMPANY

under the artistic direction of Igone de Jongh

The company, which has the Dutch Centre for Ukrainian Dancers as its home base, consists of 60 refugee Ukrainian soloists, ensembles, creatives and technicians, who will disseminate Ukrainian culture worldwide through performance and storytelling. In its artistic programming, the company profiles itself specifically as a Ukrainian company: in its interpretation, it searches simultaneously for the tradition and quality of the dancers as well as for the urgency and theme of the war and ideological violence Ukraine is facing.

The Dutch prima ballerina Igone de Jongh takes on an advisory role within the initiative. Igone de Jongh is responsible for the main programming and artistic interpretation of the ballet company.

The first performance will be ’the Ukrainian Giselle’: a Ukrainian version of the world-famous play choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky with a premiere at the Coliseum Theatre in London in september 2022. Giselle is a story about love, madness, betrayal, death and forgiveness: themes that resonate with today’s circumstances.

DUTCH CENTRE FOR UKRAINIAN DANCERS

This centre, under the artistic leadership of Rinus Sprong (‘Dutch Don’t Dance Division’), is located in the old Royal Conservatoire building in The Hague. The centre takes in professional Ukrainian dancers and ensures that all preconditions (including housing, basic equipment, trainers) are in place for the dancers to dance and develop their form.

The building, which is also used to accommodate other refugees, has its own wing reserved for 50 dancers and contains five workable dance studios and a theatre hall that are used for rehearsals and performances. The main goal of the centre is to be a place where the dancers not only train and form a dance company, but to also be a place where perspective, culture and hope can be shared between the dancers and the rest of the Ukrainian inhabitants of the building and the city.