The Kyiv City Ballet to Tour the US in an American Premiere

The Kyiv City Ballet, under the artistic direction of Ivan Kozlov, announced today a U.S tour from September 16 to October 24, 2022. The Fall tour is a US premiere and marks the Kyiv City Ballet's first United States performances ever.

The day before Ukraine was invaded in February, The Kyiv City Ballet unknowingly took one of the last flights out of Kyiv. The company flew to Paris to begin a long planned tour. They have not returned home. The country of France sheltered them and the company has been performing throughout France, and now Europe, since the invasion began.

The US tour will include a full-length Swan Lake (choreography by Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov and Ivan Kozlov), and a second mixed repertory program of three ballets: Thoughts (choreography by Vladyslav Dobshynskyi) a contemporary ballet, Tribute to Peace (choreography by Ekaterina and Ivan Kozlov) a neo-classical work, and Men of Kyiv (choreography by Pavlo Virsky) a Ukranian folk dance.

"We are honored to share the beauty of ballet with US audiences, through Ukranian artists" said Ivan Kozlov, Artistic Director. "Touring the States for the first time with a range of ballets makes an important global statement. It demonstrates the resilience of the Ukrainian people."

The Kyiv City Ballet's mission is to bring joy to audiences through ballet by bringing exemplary artists to theatres around the world. In the past decade, the company has successfully toured throughout dozens of countries on four continents.

Two of Ukraine's prima ballerinas: Krystina Kadashevych and Oksana Bondarenko will perform with the company on their US tour. The company's principal dancer is Vsevolod Maevskiy, a former soloist of the Mariinsky Ballet and Kozlov's former student.

"We are humbled that Rhizome has been asked to produce and strategically support the Kyiv City Ballet on their very first tour to the United States," said producer Kristopher McDowell. "That major cultural arts centers across the country are coming together to open their doors and their hearts is extraordinary. It is very clear this company and their artistry will have great appeal to non-dance and dance audiences alike."

Additional tour dates will be announced over the summer. The Kyiv City Ballet's confirmed 2022 US tour schedule is as follows:

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Kyiv City Ballet

The Kyiv City Ballet was founded in 2012 by the current Artistic Director Ivan Kozlov. Their mission is to bring joy to audiences through ballet. They strive to bring exemplary artists to theatres around the World. In the past decade, they have successfully worked together with various partners and toured throughout dozens of countries and 4 continents. Their classical ballets include: "Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty", "The Nutcracker", "Scheherazade", "Giselle", "Chopiniana", "Romeo and Juliet", "Don Quixote", "Gala Tchaikovsky", "Funny Concert" "Strauss Evening", "Carmen Suite". Ballets for young spectators and their families: "Cinderella", "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", "Aibolit and Barmalei","Coppelia" as well as "Thoughts," "Men of Kyiv," and "Tribute to Peace."

Ivan Kozlov (Artistic Director)

Ex-Premier of the National Opera of Ukraine, The St. Petersburg Eifman Ballet, IBT (Internationale Ballet Theater), and the Mariinsky Theater; the choreographer and teacher Ivan Anatolievich Kozlov was born on 13 December 1982. In 2000, after graduating from the KGHU (Kiyv State Choreographic School), under the tutelage of the Honored Artist of Ukraine, Vladimir Denisenko, Ivan Kozlov was invited to join the ballet troupe of the National Opera of Ukraine, and simultaneously to the world- famous troupe of Boris Eifman in St. Petersburg. He worked as an artist in both troupes. During his work in the theater of B. Eifman, Ivan performed the leading parts in the following repertoire: "Red Giselle", "Don Quixote", "Russian Hamlet", "Anna Karenina", and "The Brothers Karamazov". In the troupe of the National Opera of Ukraine, he performed the leading parts in the ballets Swan Lake, Giselle, Spartacus, Don Quixote, Viennese Waltz, and many others. Ivan Kozlov worked under contract as a leading soloist of the "Internationale Ballet Theater" in the United States. From 2007 to 2010, he was the premier of the ballet troupe of the Mariinsky Theater, where he performed the leading parts in nearly the entire repertoire of the theater, as well as in numerous concert numbers. Ivan is a laureate of many ballet competitions, including the Serge Lifar International Competition (2002, silver medal) and the X Moscow International Competition (2005, silver medal). Among the teachers of Ivan Kozlov are some of the most outstanding dancers of the 20th century: People's Artist of the USSR, Irina Kolpakova, People's Artist of the USSR Vladlilen Semenov, People's Artist of the RSFSR, Sergei Berezhnoi, Premier of the Mariinsky Theater, Eldar Aliyev, and Honored Artist of Ukraine, Anatoly Kozlov. Since 2014, Ivan Kozlov has been the executive of the theater, "Kiev City Ballet" with which he has successfully toured Europe and the world.