Joy Womack had made a name for herself in the ultra-competitive world of ballet in Russia. But the outbreak of the war in Ukraine shattered the career of this American, like that of dozens of dancers who fled the consequences of the conflict.
Far from the mobilization to join the front and from the lead screed that fell on Moscow, the dancer is now allied in California with many stars of the Russian scene, who are preparing a unique performance together on November 12th.
When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February, “I cried a lot“said the Texan, the first American to graduate from the revered Bolshoi Theater dance academy.”It was like mourning, because I didn’t know what was going to happen. I felt like it was the end of my career.“
At the start of the fights, the dancer is temporarily in Poland for the choreography Joika, a film with Diane Kruger that retraces her journey from her arrival in Moscow at the age of 15, to becoming prima ballerina of the famous Moscow ballet. She then decides not to return to Russia, leaving behind her business, her friends and all these years of work to reach the top.
“I was building a future in Russia. I was trying to find a balance, being an American dancer, but also working in Russia. (…) It is very difficult for me to close this chapter of my life“he confides, taking off his shoes after a rehearsal, his feet marked by hours of dancing.
Dozens of dancers, Russian and foreign, have left Russia for fear of not being able to work anymore, or worse, of being called to the front, long before Vladimir Putin ordered a “partial mobilization” involving 300,000 Russians in mid-September.
After twenty-six years of career, Ilya Jivoy thus left Russia with his Ukrainian wife. “When the war came, I was in shock. We couldn’t work normally, we didn’t know what to do. That’s why we left“explains this choreographer, a former member of the company of the Mariinsky Theater. Today he is convinced that he made the right choice”.It is almost impossible to work in culture in Russia. It’s not about art, it’s about fear and sadness“.
Despite the horrors of exile, Mrs. Womack and Mr. Jivoy feel lucky. Others have not been able to leave. “A colleague I worked with last year was just called by the army. He is a dancer, he is not a soldier. It is the end of his career“, Blows the American dancer.
With other dancers in exile and others who have passed through Russia, he now puts all his strength into the November show, entitled United in dance, which will take place at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, a city located south of Los Angeles. In this cultural center they will present exclusive choreographies and others already known, which have conquered thousands of people in the most famous halls in the world.
The troupe operates under the guidance of British artistic director Xander Parish, a famous former dancer of the Mariinsky Theater who spent twelve years in Moscow. During the rehearsals he tries to deal with the emotional charge of some dancers, put to the test by their forced departure. “The troupe becomes a family. We work and dance with her. You know each other intimately by working closely together. Your teachers are like your parents“, He says to explain the uprooting of each one.
During training, a new camaraderie now emerges. The crew members discuss every gesture, every movement, alternating between Russian and English. And in the midst of this effervescence new aspirations emerge. The show could thus become the first stone of a more ambitious project: the creation of a permanent troupe, capable of welcoming talents in exile. “It will take a long time to install, but it would be my dream“confides Mr. Parish.”These are the first steps, the foundations that unite us“.
