Ivan PUTROV: “My heart belongs to Kyiv”

Among the highlights of the 8th International Ballet Festival “Serge Lifar de la Dance” that ended recently was the performance of the famous dancer Ivan Putrov on the stage of the National Opera of Ukraine.

Putrov, who was the guest star of the festival, is a former resident of Kyiv and the current lead dancer of the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden. He performed the role of James in Levenhold’s La Sylphide. Putrov is a graduate of the Kyiv College of Choreography, winner of the Grand Prix of the Serge Lifar Competition and the prestigious ballet competition in Lausanne. As a result, he was able to enroll in the summer school of the Britain’s Royal Ballet, after which he became a member of the ballet company. Today he is one of the most sought-after dancers of the London troupe.

James is one of the most technically spectacular roles in classical ballet. It requires absolutely clean, filigreed detail and faultless leaps. In London Putrov has frequently performed in La Sylphide together with Alina Cojocaru, a Romanian graduate of the Kyiv College of Choreography. The role of James is one of Putrov’s hobbyhorses, so the dancer had something to show the exacting Kyiv audience. His dancing was technically faultless and emotionally perfect, and his performance earned him lengthy standing ovations.

After his triumphant performance in Kyiv the 27-year-old dancer shared the most memorable events of his life with The Day.

You dance the part of James as though you do it every day. Your refined movements and uninhibited mise en scenes leave one convinced that this is your natural state. Do you often dance this part in La Sylphide in London?

Putrov: Often is a notion that sometimes doesn’t apply to the London stage. Here some productions are not performed for years like they are in Kyiv. Between six and ten performances are staged, then a new production is launched. Seventeen to twenty various programs are performed during a season, of which at least five are modern productions. La Sylphide is staged almost every season, every time as a new version. Last year Alina Cojocaru and I danced in this ballet marking the opening of the Royal Ballet’s season. You know, ballets staged in London and Kyiv have a lot in common, including the props. There are minor choreographic differences, so I felt at home on the National Opera stage, especially since I had performed twice in La Sylphide with my regular partner, the Brazilian Roberta Marquez, in January. This happened after an 11-month break during which I did not perform at all because of my serious leg injury.

You were out of circulation for so long. Weren’t you afraid that the public would forget you? Weren’t you afraid of what would happen tomorrow?

Putrov: In the West, when a performer is injured, he gets insurance to live on. For example, there is a rehabilitation center at the Royal Ballet in London. There are gyms with special trainers. I followed the Pilates System and was closely monitored by a nurse and a coach. In this system several different muscle groups are engaged. Thanks to this treatment, I appeared on the Covent Garden stage on Jan. 14. The audience showered me with flowers. Frankly speaking, I was surprised, because in London flowers are usually given to female ballet dancers, very seldom to male dancers — on the occasion of benefit concerts, birthdays, and retirement — in my case it was like a second birth. I was happy to have my mother Natalia Beriozina in the audience. I gave her all the flowers. You know, it was thanks to her that I took up ballet in the first place. It was she who helped me discover its magic world. Like most boys, in my childhood I dreamed of becoming a soccer player. Now I can’t even think of living without ballet.

I must admit that the break that was forced on me by circumstances — despite my daily presence at the theater — did not add to my composure. Of course, I believed that I would return to the stage, but injuries are the negative aspect of a professional dancer’s career. Once I was given a clean bill of health, I plunged head first into the repertoire, because this season we are having premieres, Balanchine’s Apollo and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. My beloved ballet Eugene Onegin returned to the Covent Garden stage as a John Cranko production. Despite the fact that the ballet had not been performed for two years, this part technically remained in my memory and my muscles. Since things tend to change in everyone’s life, I am also changing, like my Lensky on stage. I have pondered the relationship between these two Pushkin heroes. I see Lensky and Onegin as one man, so when Onegin fires his pistol in his duel with Lensky, he kills a brilliant part of his own self.

Which of your latest performances have brought you the greatest creative satisfaction?

Putrov: This would be US choreographer Glen Tetley’s Pierrot Lunaire. He marked his 80th birthday last year and died shortly afterward. Tetley was a remarkable figure. He was an extraordinary personality, an unbelievable erudite, polyglot, a true man of the world. Another facet of his uniqueness is the fact that after abandoning his medical studies, he took up choreography late in life without any basic choreographic training. This may be the secret behind Tetley’s unusual productions. He never followed established standards and he was absolutely free in his creative work. Everything he saw in real life, every emotion he perceived and wanted to convey in his ballets, he converted into the plastic movements of his ballet productions. I guess this is precisely why he succeeded in staging this incomparable ballet featuring characters from the Italian comedy, an acutely modern format, and absolutely timeless and philosophically profound contemplation of individuality. Technically speaking, since the premiere in 1962, with Glen performing the role of Pierrot, this ballet has not been staged that often and only when a company was strong enough to stage a production of this caliber. At one time the role of Harlequin was danced by the legendary Rudolf Nureyev. Now that Glen is gone, I cherish the words that he once said during a rehearsal: “I can finally see the Pierrot I once staged.”

How many dancers are in the cast?

Putrov: Only three. This production is meant for soloists with good technique, who are capable of conveying the characters. Each is a quintessence of the darkest and brightest aspects of human nature. The white and naive Pierrot, who is trying to catch a moon ray, has a pure mind and good intentions. In return he receives slaps in the face not because he does something wrong, but because he first tries to keep out of trouble, but he finally sees who he really is. His antipode and tormentor, Brigello, a self- made man who comes from the city outskirts, quickly realizes that he can use a character like Harlequin any way he wants. Colombina is a composite female character, who plays a serious role in Pierrot’s life, first as a mother, then as a lover, with all the nuances of love, passion, and treachery. I think that Pierrot, after conceiving his true self at the end of the road, also gains a far deeper perception of Brigello and Colombina, who are also part of him. In other words, everything we come across in our life becomes a part of us. On the other hand, it is important to understand oneself as part of the whole. My partners seem to share my views, so we make a good team. Colombina was danced by the American dancer Deidre Chapman, and Brigello by the Cuban Carlos Acosta.

No English dancer? By the way, how does it feel to be a Ukrainian in London?

Putrov: In Great Britain — compared to France, for example — xenophobia is not widespread, and it is frowned upon, so talented people of various ethnic origins feel comfortable in this country. London could be described as Babylon, although traditions are respected here. The Covent Garden troupe has its own sacred traditions, but it remains open to the whole world and to experimentation. I would say that London has a strong tradition of pursuing every new trend. Elton John wrote the beautiful music for Billy Elliot, a musical about a dancer from a coal miner’s family (the ballet is set during the difficult period when Margaret Thatcher was closing down the coal-mining industry because it was obsolete). This young fellow starts by taking up boxing and then suddenly finds himself in the realm of high art.

Being friends with Sir Elton John is a privilege few Ukrainians can boast. How long have you been friends with this legendary composer and singer?

Putrov: I have known him for a few years, and I treasure my friendship with this creative personality. Elton attends my performances, and I try not to miss his concerts. He is as powerful and charming off stage as he is on stage, and he has a lot of friends. Last year I was invited to his wedding. It wasn’t a wedding in the usual sense but a ceremony legitimizing his relationships with his longstanding boyfriend, David Furnish. It so happened that my next performance was scheduled for the day after the ceremony, so I wasn’t planning to attend. The night before his wedding, my friends and I threw a cabaret-style stag party for Elton. My girlfriend and I danced a couple of numbers, greeted the celebrity, and were leaving when he caught up with us and gave us a personal invitation. Turning it down would have been very awkward. I had to hire a driver and make the trip to his estate that is located next to one of the Royal Family’s castles. The trip lasted several hours. There were so many guests that parking the car took about an hour. This year at least 300 friends celebrated Elton’s birthday.

There are a lot of famous people among your friends, but you don’t strike me as a snob.

Putrov: I treasure old friends, including my former ballet school mates in Kyiv. I try to meet with them and attend their performances every time I visit Ukraine. I enjoyed visiting the Kyiv Children’s Opera and Ballet Theater. The chief choreographer is Viktor Lytvynov, an old friend of mine. I watched Alla Rubina’s production of Gogol’s May Night and I liked it very much. I am glad to know that this company has a strong repertoire and that they are working on new youth-oriented productions. I know many of the dancers well. I studied with some of them and was friends with them.

I left home at an early age, when I was 15, so most of my friends are from London. Even though I am completely independent, in many respects I have remained a boy. It’s true that I know a lot of famous people. I used to be very uncomfortable in their presence, but once you get to know your idols better, you realize that they are just ordinary people and associating with them brings you joy. I have noticed that the more famous a person is the easier it is to deal with him or her. Recently I attended the CD launch of my oldest friends, the two-man group, the Pet Shop Boys. Two years ago they used a photograph of me on the cover of their much-advertised Battleship Potemkin disk, which they borrowed from the art film Strings made by my friend Sam Taylor Wood. I felt honored. This group keeps surprising audiences with the quality of its music and lyrics. That is probably the secret behind their almost 30-year-long popularity, even among the younger generations.

Not so long ago I happened to meet the composer Gabriel Yared, who writes a lot of music for films, including Autumn in New York and The English Patient. He organized a guided tour for me of the famous Abbey Road Studio, where the Beatles recorded.

It looks as though the cinema has had its effect on you.

Putrov: I am not prepared to discuss my prospects as a movie actor, but I must admit that I am thrilled by filmmaking. I am inspired by Baryshnikov, who showed that a ballet dancer can be a successful movie star. Hollywood experts say they see an actor’s potential in me. Who knows, maybe the silver screen will become an alternative to my ballet career. After all, a ballet dancer has a short professional life. I have tried my hand at teaching. Last year the principal of a summer ballet school invited me to teach some classes. She watched my first lesson and liked it so much that she immediately signed me to a regular class schedule. I am interested in teaching dance classes. I enjoy communicating with my pupils. I taught Serhii Polunin, the winner of the Serge Lifar competition and invigilated his exam. Like me, he found his way there after winning the competition in Lausanne.

You are a famous dancer. Does this mean that you no longer compete?

Putrov: Yes, no more competitions for me, except as a member of juries. I am glad to see that the Serge Lifar competition is maintaining its momentum and evolving. I am grateful to the festival organizers for their invitation, and for the pleasure I received when I was dancing on the main ballet stage of my native country, Ukraine. If the administration of the National Opera invites me again, I would like to dance the Carmen Suite, and I could invite my brilliant Spanish partner Tamara Roja to dance with me. I would also love to dance in Swan Lake. Even though I am a Londoner — I own an apartment in the British capital — my heart is in Kyiv and Ukraine.