As war intensifies, dancers return to the stage in Ukraine

With the audience waiting anxiously in their seats, a familiar message echoes through the hall, reminding the audience to turn off their cell phones and immerse themselves in the experience.

This is immediately followed by a more abnormal announcement. “Dear guest, our event will be suspended in case of an air raid alert. Dancers and spectators must go to the bomb shelter situated in the theater,” says a voice to the crowd – a poignant reminder that this is no ordinary night at the theater.

Then the lights go out, the orchestra starts playing, and a dancer comes out of the wings and onto the stage.

The Lviv National Opera Theater was forced to close its doors on February 24 when Russia launched a violent and unprovoked attack on Ukraine. It welcomed theater enthusiasts back for its first full production on Friday night.

“One way or another, war affects us all,” opera artistic director Vasyl Vovkun told CNN. “We understand that light must defeat darkness, that life must defeat death, and the theater’s mission is to affirm that.”

The western Ukrainian city of Lviv is largely unharmed, while heavy fighting has devastated cities in other parts of the country. Thousands of fleeing civilians transited through the city before traveling to neighboring Poland and other countries.

Those left behind in this resilient city, residents are slowly learning to live with the war. Downtown cafes and restaurants are once again bustling with commerce, the streets are once again crowded with pedestrians, and residents are back taking casual strolls in the parks.

Providing a place of solace in the midst of violent conflict is the driving force behind the resumption of performances, says Vovkun.

For starters, he chose a well-executed ballet classic, “Giselle”. A two-act ballet, it tells the story of a beautiful peasant woman who dies prematurely after being betrayed by the man she loves.

The 64-year-old former Minister of Culture and Tourism explains: “Giselle also has all the nuances of joy and sadness, there is also death and there is also the victory of love. And indeed, this theme is consistent today. Even when we hear a lot about death, we still hope, both in this work and in life, that love wins, life wins.”

Although his choice has proved popular – with sold-out tickets – many of the seats remain empty.

“Despite the fact that we can only accept 300 people because we can only take that number into the shelter, it’s still a big mission for us,” continues Vovkun. “To give people something to forget about the news […] in this difficult time, because there is no good news in the war. And for them to be spiritually resurrected during the war, seeing to this work of art.”

Putting on a good show is of paramount importance to the army of theater artists. Hours before the performance, the production team would check the lighting three times, while others would make sure that every detail on the set was perfect.

In the bowels of the theater, the producers went up and down the stairs, tutus in their hands. Meanwhile, dancers stretched through the halls, their precious feet in protective flip-flops.

From one of the rehearsal rooms, a deep voice reverberated down the narrow staircase to the rehearsal rooms on the top floor. Elsewhere in the building, ballerinas sat silently as stylists shaped their hair before smoothing and pinning it tightly in place.

Maria Malanchyn, 68, has been working as a makeup artist at the cultural institution for five decades. She tells CNN that opera is needed now more than ever.

“In my opinion, culture is mandatory, always, even more so now”, he explains. “Now we have many displaced people, it is very difficult for them. But we showed them that life can go on.”

Daryna Kirik, 21, plays the lead role of “Giselle”. Like many in the country, her life has been upended by the war and the horrors of Bucha, where mass graves were recently found.

“Dancing helps distract from what’s going on,” says the soloist. “Most of my relatives are in Kiev or the Kiev region now. My mother, grandmother and her sister survived the occupation in Bucha. My mother managed to escape and take the pets. Now she is safely in Poland, getting her nerves back.”

For Kirik, returning to the stage has given her a renewed sense of purpose and an opportunity to express her feelings through her craft.

She says what she enjoys most about playing Giselle is the “opportunity to express emotions in the madness scene. All the negative emotions that have been accumulating for a long time can flow along with the character’s emotions.”

And for a few hours, the audience is transported away from the chaos of reality. The crowd is captivated with every leap, lift and arabesque.

It’s only a two-hour show, but it seems to have achieved its goal of raising the spirits of those in attendance.

“After visiting this place, you understand that life cannot be defeated. Our lives cannot be bombed or destroyed by missiles or chemical or nuclear weapons,” says Victoria Palamarchuk, a 50-year-old journalist who is currently staying with relatives in Lviv after leaving her home in central Zhytomyr.

With a warm smile, she adds: “Life cannot be beaten as long as these places exist – theaters, operas and ballet – as long as people come here and feel joy from these sounds.”