• Українська
  • Русский
  • English
Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

HE MISSED THE RENDEZVOUS A young talented Kyiv dancer to perform at Covent Garden

13 November, 2012 - 00:00

When Ivan Putrov returned from Switzerland, after winning the Prix de Lausanne Swiss Junior Dance Contest, and appeared in a concert at the Kyiv National Opera, he captivated the audience not only by his faultless technical merits, but also by his inspired choreography, and most local critics realized that a new star was being born.

The young dancer repeated his success in his native city, winning gold in the Second Serge LeFarge International Ballet Contest's Junior League. His Swiss triumph secured Putrov an opportunity to study in Europe. He received such offers from 15 countries. He chose London and in 1996 spent two weeks practicing at the Royal School of Ballet under Hermann Samuel, an emigre from Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). He left with the best impressions. Last January, he continued to study in London and recently returned to Kyiv after graduation.

Q.: So what did you do first after returning to your home town?

A.: First, there was a small family celebration and the following morning I went to the beach and swam in the Dnipro.

Q.: Your parents, Oleksandr Putrov and Natalia Berezina, spent years dancing with the National Opera’s ballet troupe. Did you dream of becoming a ballet dancer from childhood?

A.: No, I was fond of martial arts, especially karate. I knew that I had to develop a good leg-stretch, so Mother told me I should enroll in a ballet school where such stretching exercises are a major part of the curriculum.

Q.: Who was your teacher at the time?

A.: Ivetta Holovchuk taught the junior classes and Vadym Artemenko did the senior ones. And, of course, Mother was always there to help.

Q.: What about classes in London?

A.: Mr. Samuel always emphasized the classics. He taught us the right lines, postures, and pas. We were also given a course in Contemporary, Character Dance, and so on. I was fortunate enough to take lessons from Shulamith, sister of the legendary Assaf Messerer. I remember rehearsing for the third act of Raimonda. We had Irek Muhamedov, and I rehearsed for the Baiaderka’s Gold Idol together with Natalia Makarova, an outstanding ballerina.

Q.: While you were in London, word spread in Kyiv that you rubbed shoulders with the British royal family. Is this true?

A.: I appeared with concert numbers, last year and this year under the patronage of Princess Margaret, President of the Royal Ballet and School, so I am honored to have met this remarkable woman. She even shook hands with me, thanking me for one of my performances.

Q.: How does the British Royal Ballet Company work with the School?

A.: Actually, both are on the same premises. The company closely follows the school’s best students, deciding on who will be offered a Covent Garden contract. Some show talent but do not or cannot work hard enough to develop their stage presence.

Q.: Are you the hard-working type?

A.: I am very fond of ballet, dancing classes, and rehearsals. I love to master sophisticated techniques.

Q.: What about the British Ballet School?

A.: They place special emphasis on small movements and leaps. They demand meticulous, faultless techniques. Perhaps because their stages are considerably smaller than ours. In fact, classical ballet follows three trends: the Russian where the pas are slower but with more bravura; American, with light and swift butterfly-like pas, but without any bravura, and British with both bravura and very quick movements.

Today’s world is marked by acceleration. Trains move, soccer is played, and ballet is danced faster. If I can cope with this tempo my audiences will love me, because they are interested in such a clipped rate. I also think that I have mastered the technique.

Q.: Are the British Ballet School graduates offered contracts with ballet companies?

A.: In their graduating year they visit various such companies – at their own cost – where they check their performing level. I sent a letter to New York but couldn’t fly there, because it turned out I had to get my entrance visa in Kyiv. Besides, I couldn’t afford it.

Q.: And the Ukrainian National Opera? They knew you would graduate soon. Did they offer a contract?

A.: The National Opera’s Head Choirmaster Anatoly Shekera asked for an interview in July before the ballet group’s tour of Japan. I was to return to Kyiv in August, so I signed a contract with Covent Garden, lest I remained without a ballet job. The contract was offered by the Royal Company.

Photo by Oleksandr Putrov:

IVAN PUTROV'S INSPIRING DANCE

 

Rubric: