Interview: Ivan Putrov on the Dance for Ukraine gala at the Royal Academy of Dance
On Saturday 21 March at 2pm, the Royal Academy of Dance will host a Dance for Ukraine event.
Darcey Bussell, President of the Royal Academy of Dance, and Ivan Putrov will present a special ballet matinee to raise funds to support ballet students in Ukraine.
Royal Ballet dancers taking part include Patricio Reve, Joseph Sissens, Akane Takada, Joshua Junker, Viola Pantuso, Denilson Almeida, Martin Diaz, Caspar Lench, Hanna Park, and Marianna Tsembenhoi. Other participants are Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Alisa Garkavenko, Brighton Academy Ukrainian graduate Mariia Shapoval, Edward Watson, and Ukrainian Royal Ballet School student Denis Teixeira. There will be an opportunity to meet the dancers over refreshments.
Details for donating and attending this event are below ➡️
I chatted to Ivan Putrov about what has happened in the last four years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ivan, miraculously, you put on the first gala for Ukraine less than a month after the invasion.
Alina [Cojocaru] and I wanted to help Ukraine as the country has given so much to us and it was now in need of support.
Of course, as a girl, Alina went from Romania to study at the Kyiv State Ballet School.
Yes. So we decided to organise a gala and collect for the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal by DEC. Just over two weeks after Alina’s call Dance for Ukraine had the curtain up in front of the full audience…
…and at the London Coliseum, with more than 2,000 seats.
It sold out in less than two days and streamed on Marquee TV. We collected over £160,000.
You mustered a remarkable group of dancers in such a short time, including an important Russian – Natalia Osipova.
Well, at the time everyone was in shock from the beginning of the brutal war and wanted to do something, to express their views in any way possible. Dance for Ukraine has become a platform to join as a volunteer or with a donation to make a difference in Ukraine – every incredible dancer, musician and singer, the stage crew, press, and administration… The Royal Ballet, English National Opera… all the volunteers and donors united in this momentous expression of solidarity.
Emotions must have run high that evening.
I still remember the feeling when we began with a singer in front of the curtain starting the Ukrainian anthem alone. Slowly, a few instruments from ENO’s orchestra picked up, followed by the chorus, at first behind the closed curtain before it went up, and finally all the instruments joined in, with the audience standing and joining the anthem, including the Ukrainian ambassador who was in attendance. Not a moment I will forget.
It was a powerful beginning symbolising unity and solidarity, that one may stand alone to begin with and seem fragile, but their strength of belief is quickly joined by many.
Remind us of what the situation was like in those first weeks.
A few days before the gala, Mariupol’s theatre, with a sign ‘KIDS’, was bombed by the Russian army – every unimaginable horror was fresh and new in front of our eyes. I certainly didn’t think this war would still be raging so many years later… Everyone was happy to support Ukraine and that support is still much needed.
The second Dance for Ukraine gala was two years ago – and with another Russian star, Olga Smirnova – with different objectives, including bringing Frederick Ashton‘s La Fille mal gardée to the National Ballet of Ukraine?
La Fille was gifted and produced for the National Ballet of Ukraine as one of two objectives of Dance for Ukraine‘s last gala. Ashton’s masterpiece had its Kyiv premiere in the summer of 2025, bringing positive energy and hope to the audiences and artists. It has quickly become one of the most loved ballets in the repertoire and is performed to full houses.
Air raids interrupted its performances twice, briefly, when everyone had to seek shelter in the Opera House’s basement before returning to continue the show from where it had stopped.
The road to La Fille’s premiere was full of difficulties. With the country at war, it was not a surprise that many of them came unexpectedly. Electricity cuts meant delays in making costumes and slowing down the rehearsal process, and some fabrics had to be sent from London as they were not available in Ukraine. Also, most of the Opera House production department staff who build the sets had been called up to the army, leaving only two carpenters and one painter, so Inspiration in Motion, the English charity that produced it, had to find a subcontractor and fundraise further to be able to build the sets. There were many more obstacles and hurdles to overcome.
The ballet company worked tirelessly with Jean-Christophe Lesage under incredibly difficult conditions, and I can only take my hat off in appreciation of everyone’s effort to make La Fille the success which it has become.
I would like to say thank you to so many people and organisations that lent their support, from Mikhail Baryshnikov to The Frederick Ashton Foundation.
You have Baryshnikov’s words written for the 2024 fundraiser:
Yes. He said, “I wish I could be with you in London for this event. The beauty of dance is an extraordinary balm in these terrible times, and I am personally donating $10,000 to Dance for Ukraine. It’s extraordinary what the arts can do for people – especially young people – during times of upheaval, injustice and pain. This is our chance to dance with Ukraine in spirit.”
And there was a second objective.
Apart from La Fille, the charity aimed to support talented dance students in Ukraine. Dancewear and shoes have high costs that weigh heavily on a family’s budget. For example, some pointe shoes cost over £130 a pair, and that is on top of constant bombardments, heating, water, and electricity shortages! We have collected and sent over four thousand items worth £166,000 of clothes and shoes, including over 1,500 pairs of pointe shoes, to seven different schools in Kyiv, L’viv, Poltava and Kharkiv, helping over a thousand students.
This is a practical help; however, it also represents something on an emotional level – solidarity, care and love from around the world to those receiving help.
What is the aim of this new event for Ukraine?
After our first round of student support, we could see how hard the situation is for many in Ukraine – some are on a family budget of £160 per month or less! How can they afford to supply their kids with shoes and dancewear, proper food, travel costs etc? We don’t want the talent to drop out because of financial constraints, but wish that they pursue their dream by staying in education and becoming professional dancers.
We aim to award direct grants to families of students aged 10-18 in two top ballet schools in Kyiv. There will be an application process, and the raised support will go directly to those who struggle the most. Applications will open in the summer, and support will be for the 2026-2027 academic year.
How have the last few years been for you?
The last few years have been busy, filled with sadness and joy.
Every family is affected by war every day, ours is no exception – I lost my cousin who died on the frontline.
I have been trying to help my homeland as much as I can since the Russians began the war, predominantly through Dance for Ukraine. A few years ago, Men in Motion celebrated 10 years at the London Coliseum with an exciting cast and programme, [Men in Motion is a gala format celebrating the male dancer that Putrov established in 2012], but life in the last few years has changed dramatically.
At the end of this interview, there will be links for donating. It will go online on 8 March… your birthday! Maybe donations to the charity will make it an even happier day!
Laughing… Yes, they would – a very happy birthday! It is important to encourage and support young talent in its routes to have a better future… for all of us.
I hope that if you read this, you can join by attending Dance for Ukraine and donating to give someone a future!
DONATE
Admission to the event is available on application via the Inspiration in Motion website.
This is a fund-raising event with a suggested minimum donation of £65.
For the application form, follow this link:
How to help further:
• A gift of £320 provides a year of essential dancewear for a girl;
a gift of £240 provides a year of essential dancewear for a boy.
• £700 covers a student’s school lunches for a full year
• £1,500 can support one student’s core annual study costs
• Larger gifts can sponsor multiple students or provide flexible support.
To donate https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/30026
Inspiration In Motion (reg charity no. 1167669) https://www.inspirationinmotion.org.uk/
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Italian ballerina Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
