Grand Kyiv Ballet’s National Tour of The Nutcracker in Atlanta Nov. 27

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The Grand Kyiv Ballet brings its first-ever national tour of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet The Nutcracker to Atlanta on Nov. 27 for one performance at Atlanta Symphony Hall. Twenty of the 35 world-class dancers are from Ukraine, and the choreography is by one of the country’s most famous ballet dancers, Valery Kovtun (1944-2005).

Principal Dancers Kateryna Kukhar and Alex Stoianov, a couple with two children who now call Seattle their temporary home due to the conflict in Ukraine, were continents away from their two children when the war erupted with no means of returning. They were in France, preparing for their final performance in Menton for Giselle before returning to Kyiv when they received news at 5 a.m. of bombings and the outbreak of war.

Alex and Kateryna landed in Seattle in large part to Vera Altunina and her family. Vera runs the International Ballet Academy in Bellevue, WA. This resilient couple undertook extraordinary efforts, with the help of friends and family, and worked tirelessly to evacuate their children from Ukraine.

Alex started the Grand Kyiv Ballet as an artistic home for dancers displaced by war.

ABOUT ALEX AND KATERYNA’S CAREERS

With an illustrious career at the renowned National Opera of Ukraine, Kukhar is a distinguished artist, holding the prestigious titles of People’s Artist of Ukraine and the Order of Princess Olga of the 3rd degree. Recognized for her versatility and exceptional technique, she has garnered international acclaim, captivating audiences with performances that resonate on a profound emotional level. Alex Stoianov, the Principal Dancer of the National Opera of Ukraine, also serves as the Artistic Director of the Grand Kyiv Ballet.

There were more than 200 ballet dancers who evacuated Ukraine do to the war with Russia. Alex has started four Ballet companies to bring work to many of those dancers displaced from Ukraine.

The two-act classical ballet The Nutcracker was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and first performed in 1892 and tells the story of a young girl who befriends a nutcracker that comes to life on Christmas Eve and fights the Mouse King. A portion of the proceeds from this event will be directed towards the renovation efforts of the Kyiv State Choreographic College in Kyiv.

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