KYIV CITY BALLET of Ukraine
Kyiv City Ballet
September 19-22, 2022
‘Our mission is to bring joy to audiences through our ballet.’
– Kyiv City Ballet
The Kyiv City Ballet, under the artistic direction of Ivan Kozlov, announced on June 14, 2022 a U.S. Tour from September 15 to October 25, 2022. The Fall tour is a US premiere and marks the Kyiv City Ballet’s first United States performances ever.
Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts is honored to be one of the major cultural arts centers across the country that are coming together to open their doors and their hearts to welcome the Kyiv City Ballet, in-residence at the Suffolk Center September 19- 22, 2022. It is very clear this company and their artistry will have great appeal to non-dance and dance audiences alike.
“We are honored to share the beauty of ballet with US audiences, through Ukranian artists” said Ivan Kozlov, Artistic Director. “Touring the States for the first time with a range of ballets makes an important global statement. It demonstrates the resilience of the Ukrainian people.”
The day before Ukraine was invaded in February 2022, the Kyiv City Ballet unknowingly took one of the last flights out of Kyiv. The company flew to Paris to begin a long planned tour. They have not returned home. The country of France sheltered them and the company has been performing throughout France, and now Europe, since the invasion began.
The Kyiv City Ballet’s residency at the Suffolk Center includes; Education, Outreach, and Performances.
September 20th & 21st: Suffolk Center will host interactive Kyiv City Ballet Workshops, Demonstrations, and Master Classes on Tuesday, September 20th and Wednesday 21st working with local schools and dance companies throughout Virginia during Kyiv City Ballet’s residency in Suffolk, VA.
Wednesday, September 21, 2022: We are thrilled to share that Kyiv City Ballet will perform two evening performances on the Center’s Birdsong Theater stage. On Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 7:00 PM patrons will delight in a performance of two ballets, comprising a special ‘Tribute to Peace’ Ukraine Repertoire:
- A Tribute to Peace (choreography by Ekaterina & Ivan Kozlov) a neo-classical work,
- Men of Kyiv (choreography by Pavlo Virsky) a Ukrainian folk dance.
Thursday, September 22, 2022: Don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to see Kyiv City Ballet perform their full-length performance of Swan Lake on Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 7:00 PM (choreography by Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov and Ivan Kozlov).
For an extraordinary opportunity the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts will host a ‘Meet & Greet’ Finale Reception for guests to mingle, enjoy refreshments, and take photos with the Kyiv City Ballet. This special opportunity will take place prior to Swan Lake on Thursday, September 22, 5:00 – 6:30 PM in the Center’s Taylor Ballroom. Meet & Greet Reception tickets are limited.
Kyiv City Ballet, founded in 2012, mission is to bring joy to audiences through ballet by bringing exemplary artists to theaters around the world. In the past decade, the company has successfully toured throughout dozens of countries on four continents.
Two of Ukraine’s prima ballerinas: Krystina Kadashevych and Oksana Bondarenko will perform with the company on their US tour. The company’s principal dancer is Vsevolod Maevskiy, a former soloist of the Mariinsky Ballet and Kozlov’s former student.
Ivan Kozlov
Since 2014, Ivan Kozlov has been the executive of the theater, “Kyiv City Ballet” with which he has successfully toured Europe and the world. Choreographer and teacher Ivan Anatolievich Kozlov was born on December 13, 1982. He is the Ex-Premier of the National Opera of Ukraine, The St. Petersburg Eifman Ballet, IBT (Internationale Ballet Theater), and the Mariinsky Theater.
In 2000, after graduating from the KGHU (Kyiv State Choreographic School), under the tutelage of the Honored Artist of Ukraine, Vladimir Denisenko, Ivan Kozlov was invited to join the ballet troupe of the National Opera of Ukraine, and simultaneously to the world-famous troupe of Boris Eifman in St. Petersburg. He worked as an artist in both troupes.
During his work in the theater of B. Eifman, Ivan performed the leading parts in the following repertoire: “Red Giselle”, “Don Quixote”, “Russian Hamlet”, “Anna Karenina”, and “The Brothers Karamazov”. In the troupe of the National Opera of Ukraine, he performed the leading parts in the ballets Swan Lake, Giselle, Spartacus, Don Quixote, Viennese Waltz, and many others. Ivan Kozlov worked under contract as a leading soloist of the “Internationale Ballet Theater” in the United States.
From 2007 to 2010, he was the premier of the ballet troupe of the Mariinsky Theater, where he performed the leading parts in nearly the entire repertoire of the theater, as well as in numerous concert numbers. Ivan is a laureate of many ballet competitions, including the Serge Lifar International Competition (2002, silver medal) and the X Moscow International Competition (2005, silver medal).
