A Prince from Berlin
On April 2 and 3 Kyiv hosted the “Serge Lifar de la Danse” 7th International Festival dedicated to the 101st birth anniversary of the outstanding 20th century dancer and choreographer Serge Lifar.
The festival featured two gala concerts by the leading performers of the National Opera of Ukraine: Olena Filipieva, Serhiy Sydorsky, Natalia Lazebnykova, Hanna Dorosh, Tetiana Holiakova, Denys Matviyenko, and guest performers of the Berlin Opera (lead dancers Polina Simeonova, Beatrice Knopp, and Artem Shpylevsky). But the real celebration of dance was the performance by our former countryman Volodymyr Malakhov, who is now the premier dancer of the Vienna, Stuttgart, and Metropolitan operas, and the art director of the Berlin National Opera Theater.
“Ten years ago trumpets sounded for the first time on the stage of the National Opera to announce the opening of the “Serge Lifar de la Danse” Festival, which is dedicated to the legendary Kyivan dancer and choreographer,” says Yury Stanishevsky, art director of the festival and rector of the Kyiv Ukrainian Dance Academy named after Serge Lifar. “The name of Serge Lifar is linked with an entire era in the evolution of 20th century ballet. Lifar staged over 200 performances at the Grand Opera in Paris. He developed a new style of dance known as the neoclassical style, and became the first choreographer to be granted full membership in the French Academy of Arts. In 1955 President Charles de Gaulle of France awarded Serge Lifar the Golden Shoe, the ultimate honor for a dancer, symbolizing his great contribution to world culture. Lifar’s widow, Countess Lillan Ahlefeldt, passed this trophy to Kyiv, where it is on display at the Museum of Historical Valuables of Ukraine. The repertoire of the Kyiv Opera includes two ballets choreographed by Lifar — Romeo and Juliet and Suite in White.
It has become a fine tradition to hold the festival on April 2 (Lifar’s birthday) and every two years a Serge Lifar Competition. Our prominent Kyivan has been repatriated by his ballets, which have acquainted the Ukrainian audience with a constellation of unique ballet masters: Volodymyr Derevyanko, Anastasia Volochkova, Iryna Dvorovenko, Volodymyr Malakhov, Ivan Putrov, and other stars.
The “Serge Lifar de la Danse” Festival opened with fragments from Lalou’s ballet Suite in White brilliantly performed by National Opera soloists Hanna Dorosh, Tetiana Holiakova, Natalia Lazebnykova, and Anatoly Matviyenko. The first part of the concert ended with Volodymyr Malakhov’s signature performance of Voyage. This mono-ballet based on Mozart’s music is an example of post-modern choreography by Renato Zanelli. Malakhov uses the physical language of plasticity and dance to convey the age-old problem of all gifted people, who seek perfection in everything and are doomed to loneliness. Malakhov performed this ballet for the first time at the inaugural Serge Lifar Competition, stunning the Ukrainian audience with his masterful dancing and dramatic performance. Today Volodymyr is a mature stage performer, and his every gesture and “pas” is versatile and polyphonic.
In Kyiv Malakhov demonstrated singular aspects of his talent. He has brilliantly mastered absolutely different choreographic styles: classical and modern. In the Berlin Opera he has trained a number of prominent dancers — Polina Simeonova, Beatrice Knopp, and Artem Shpylevsky, who have made their successful debuts on the Kyiv stage. Malakhov is also a ballet director. The audience liked Malakhov’s interpretation of an adagio from Prokofiev’s Cinderella, which he performed with his partner, Berlin Opera prima ballerina Polina Simeonova.
Despite his popularity, Malakhov is quite an egalitarian person offstage; he is cordial and not at all spoiled. After his performance he patiently posed for photos with his numerous fans. A large number of admirers arrived from Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia to meet their famous native son. His family: mother, father, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew (Volodymyr Malakhov) also came to see his famous uncle. Little Volodia waited patiently while Uncle Volodymyr signed autographs for fans and gave interviews (read our interview with Malakhov in an upcoming issue of The Day), but burst into tears when he saw that he wouldn’t get his turn. Malakhov immediately interrupted his interview and gave Volodia a comforting hug. When I asked the little one what he wants to be when he grows up, he replied firmly: “A soccer player!”
