Marquee TV to stream London’s Dance for Ukraine gala

Marquee TV will stream Dance for Ukraine, the special charity gala conceived by former Royal Ballet stars Ivan Putrov (Ukraine) and Alina Cojocaru (Romania) which was performed at the London Coliseum on 19 March. It will be available to view from 14 – 24 April 2022: www.marquee.tv/danceforukraine and will be available to watch as a pay-per-view for both subscribers and non-subscribers for £14.99. All proceeds from the stream will go to Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC), Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. One-off donations can also be made via the streaming link.

The video of the event was filmed and edited by BalletBoyz and features dancers from The Royal Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet, English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Company Wayne McGregor: Marianela Nuñez (Argentina), Alison McWhinney (Australia), Junor Souza and Mayara Magri (Brazil), Rebecca Bassett-Graham (Canada), Javier Torres (Cuba), Mathieu Ganio (France), Francesco Gabriele Frola and Salvatore de Simone (Italy), Luca Acri (Japan/Italy), Fumi Kaneko and Miki Mizutani (Japan), Alina Cojocaru (Romania), Natalia Osipova (Russia), Aitor Arrieta and Fernando Carratalá Coloma (Spain), William Bracewell and Reece Clarke (UK), Katja Khaniukova and Marianna Tsembenhoi (Ukraine), Emma Hawes and Mathias Dingman (USA).

All the dancers donated their services for the appeal, and the English National Opera waived its rental fee for the use of the London Coliseum. The ENO Orchestra (conducted by Alexander Ingram), the ENO Chorus and friends also volunteered to support the evening.

Alina Cojocaru and Ivan Putrov trained together in Kyiv as young students before studying at London's Royal Ballet School and entering The Royal Ballet, becoming two of the youngest principal dancers in the Company's history. With their dance journey originating in Kyiv, both artists wanted to show their love, admiration and support for friends and family by reaching out to their colleagues to dance to show support and raise funds for the victims of this terrifying conflict.

Ivan Putrov says,

Organising Dance for Ukraine was the most challenging and moving experience. I still am overwhelmed by the generosity and support of the dancers, musicians, backstage colleagues and so many more. Just getting the gala on stage at such short notice was an astonishing achievement but the end result was an array of performances of outstanding artistry. In response to events of such horror as we have witnessed in Ukraine, words can be inadequate. The dance you see in this film transcends the power of language.

Cojocaru shares his sentiments:

I will never forget the wave of goodwill and generous support from the artists and everyone else involved in bringing Dance for Ukraine to the stage. In 17 days, we went from an idea to a performance. We are so happy to be able to share this with you to offer hope, light and joy in these devastating times. Our thanks to the BalletBoyz for capturing it and Marquee TV for bringing it to you.

Marquee TV is a global streaming service for dance, opera, theatre and music on demand, curating the best of the performing arts from around the world. Marquee TV is home to a unique selection of classic and cutting-edge performances, including an unprecedented collection of contemporary dance.

Marquee TV has partnered with some of the world's most renowned artists and top art organizations to bring culture curious audiences new collections and seasons from the likes of The Washington Ballet, LA Opera, Royal Opera House, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Shakespeare Company, Rambert, La Scala and many more.

Marquee TV subscriptions are £8.99 per month or £89.99 per year.

Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.