"Beauty of the Beast" in Tallinn

 

We invited Ukrainian dancer-choreographer ANTON OVCHINNIKOV with his performance "BEAUTY OF THE BEAST".
Performances: May 22nd and 23rd 2024 at Tallinn Sakala 3 Theatre, (Tallinn, EST).
Workshop: May 25th at Sakala 3 Theatre (Tallinn, EST)

Russian classical ballet is today one of the main products of Russian cultural export and one of the symbols of Russian art and culture outside of Russia. The performance "Beauty of the Beast" suggests looking at classical Russian ballet as an aestheticized form of violence against a person and over the body through the lenses of the beauty of the “Swan Lake” ballet by the music of P .Tchaikovsky.
Today, when the Russian army destroys cities and the population of Ukraine, inhumanity and destruction become new symbols of Russia. How can this metamorphosis change the view of traditional classical ballet? Can it still be a cover for the lawlessness, anti-humanism and imperial habits of the Russian elite? How the war could change the perception of ballet as an art form that is deeply rooted in European culture but which has become a mainstay and glossy cover of Russian art for export?
The performance offers a new anti utopian vision of what a traditional classical ballet technique class might look like in a country where the entire cultural industry works to support the military-industrial complex and is subject to state ideology and propaganda.
The performance is based on the poem "New Russian Ballet" by Anton Ovchinnikov, which was written at the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, namely on March 31, 2022

Anton Ovchinnikov is a multidisciplinary artist, producer and culture manager, co-founder of UA “Contemporary Dance Platform”. Since 2010 he is the program director of Zelyonka Contemporary dance festival in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Since 2008 he has been the artistic director of the Black O!Range dance productions company and created more than 20 full-length performances with his team. In 2016-2021 Anton Ovchinnikov presented a few solo performances and created five multidisciplinary projects which were presented at the festivals in Ukraine, Europe and USA.

In his solo performances, Ovchinnikov seeks answers to questions that arise in the process of comprehending the transformations of the social and cultural life of Ukrainians in the 21st century. One of the features of his works is the active involvement of the audience in what is happening on stage.

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Support: Eesti Kultuurikapital, Creative Europe supported project: "BET: Body, Experience, Time through 45+ dancers" , Tallinn City, Trust for Mutual Understanding.