Ukrainian ballet dancers in Japan on war with Russia, their love of Japanese food

Ukrainian ballet dancers Nelia Ivanova and Svitlana Shlikhter were deeply moved when the audience gave a standing ovation during their Japan-based troupe’s performance in Latvia, ahead of the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Throughout the performance, the troupe called for an end to the war in Ukraine and expressed gratitude to those back home on Japan’s Awaji Island, near Osaka, who have been supporting the group’s activities. The 16-member troupe is unique in that it includes Ivanova, Shlikhter and 10 other Ukrainian dancers and instructors evacuated to the island. The four others are Japanese dancers. “Every year, you think it [the war] is going to finish but it’s not finished yet,” Ivanova said in Awaji city after returning from Latvia’s capital, Riga. “I hope it’s going to finish so soon.” Led by Emi Hariyama, an award-winning Japanese ballet dancer and former member of the Berlin State Ballet, the troupe performed a show on December 9 featuring Tsuru no Ongaeshi, or “The Grateful Crane”, a well-known Japanese folk tale, at the Latvian National Opera House. “People in Latvia, I think, loved this,” Shlikhter said, in reference to the crane in the storyline and use of taiko drum sounds in the show. Hariyama said the troupe conveyed a message of peace to the world and that it was significant – and probably unprecedented – that a group of Ukrainian and Japanese dancers presented Japanese culture through ballet in Europe. “It may sound like a dream, but I would like people to hold hands with their neighbours and walk together [toward the future], leaving feelings of hatred behind,” she said. With the help of Hariyama, Ivanova and Shlikhter moved to Awaji in May 2022. The former dancers of the Lviv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre had been hoping to live in a calm and safe environment. Hariyama launched ballet promotion project Awaji World Ballet in June 2022 in partnership with Pasona Group, a staffing service agency that has relocated part of its headquarters to Awaji from Tokyo in an effort to advance regional revitalisation. Ivanova, Shlikhter and two Ukrainian ballet instructors, who also evacuated to Awaji in the wake of the war that started in 2022, joined the project from the very start. While performing ballet pieces such as Don Quixote and Coppélia in Awaji and running ballet lessons for local children and adults, the project expanded to 16 dancers and instructors. The Riga show was realised with the support of a Latvian performing arts organiser Hariyama met in Berlin in 2007. It was the second overseas performance by the troupe, following the Dance World Cup finals held in the Czech Republic last year. About 2,000 Ukrainian evacuees currently live in Japan, according to government data. Ivanova and Shlikhter say they have got used to living in the country, and their families in Ukraine are happy that they are living safely and comfortably in Awaji. The 24-year-olds thanked Pasona for hiring them and other Ukrainians for the ballet project and local authorities for providing them with free accommodation. “We like how people support us, how the company supports us,” Ivanova said in an interview at a flat she shares with Shlikhter. “It’s more comfortable than before.” Shlikhter said the pair sometimes visits Kobe and Osaka, two major cities near Awaji, primarily for shopping. Her favourite food is edamame beans, while Ivanova’s favourites are tofu and Kobe beef. Even if the war in Ukraine ends soon, they would like to keep dancing in Japan for now. “I want to be in Japan with Awaji World Ballet. My family is happy, too, for me living in Japan,” Shlikhter said. “But I don’t know for how long.” Awaji city officials and residents have welcomed the Ukrainian evacuees, saying the ballet project will help revitalise the island culturally and economically, and raise its international profile. “In a region with no ties with ballet, we initially were not sure how best to host the evacuees,” said Awaji mayor Yasuhiko Kado. “But with Ms Hariyama assisting them in cross-cultural communications and Pasona allowing them to focus on dancing and teaching, the project has been taking root.” “The city government will continue to extend as much assistance as possible to the evacuees,” Kado said in an interview at his office, citing language translation equipment and aid for other life-related issues. Local residents are hoping that more people will visit the island and watch ballet performances, especially as the World Expo 2025 – starting April in Osaka – is expected to boost the number of inbound tourists. With Hariyama poised to step up the troupe’s performances, enrich their contents and include dancers from other countries, Ukrainian ballet dancer Vladimir Malakhov says the Awaji project has the potential to grow eventually into a ballet company. Malakhov, a former artistic director of the Berlin State Ballet who has long worked with Hariyama, suggests that the troupe increase its repertoire and establish its reputation in Japan and abroad so that it can garner more support, both in terms of fan base and financing. “They have a lot of interesting ideas about incorporating elements of Japanese arts and culture into ballet,” Malakhov said on the sidelines of the Japan International Ballet Festival in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo, in December. “They must have more repertories to present, like contemporary, classic and neoclassical works,” he said. “They performed in Latvia and the Czech Republic, but they need to show more in Europe or even in Asia such as Taiwan, South Korea and China.”

Ukrainian ballet dancers in Japan on war with Russia, their love of Japanese food

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Ballet dancers who evacuated to Japan when Russia invaded Ukraine conveyed Japanese culture and a message of peace on a tour to Latvia

Ballet dancers who evacuated to Japan when Russia invaded Ukraine conveyed Japanese culture and a message of peace on a tour to Latvia