V18 ATVIRA ERDVĖ’24| Black O!range Dance Production "The Beauty of the Beast"

LT:
2022 in June, the director of the Hermitage Museum, Mikhail Piotrovsky, controversially called exhibitions of Russian art abroad a "special cultural operation". At the same time, Russian classical ballet continues to be one of the country's most important cultural exports, a global symbol of Russia's artistic achievement and sophistication. Although classical ballet originated in France and became a common cultural value of the world, over time it became deeply connected to the artistic identity of Russia. Today, as Russian forces devastate Ukrainian cities and civilians, the country's image in the world is changing fundamentally, from beauty and sophistication to inhumanity and destruction. This raises difficult questions: Can classical ballet still be a symbol of elegance and culture when the country it represents is associated with brutality and violence? Can it continue to function as a glossy surface that hides the disregard for the legal system, anti-humanism and imperial ambitions of the Russian elite? The performance "Beauty of the Beast" offers a dystopian vision of classical ballet in a society where the arts serve the military-industrial complex and are subordinated to state ideology and propaganda. It imagines the traditional ballet class as a rigorous training ground where the "perfect warrior" is cultivated, and transforms classical technique into an aesthetic form of violence - an assault on the human body and spirit. The basis of the performance is Anton Ovchinnikov's poem "The New Russian Ballet", written after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. March The work raises questions about how war can irrevocably change the perception of ballet, a refined art once deeply rooted in European culture, now part of the country's authoritarian narrative.

The performance was created with the support of Movement Research (USA) and Workshop Foundation (Hungary).

Idea and performance: Anton Ovchinnikov

Music: P. Tchaikovsky, A. Ovchinnikov, Bee Gees, Haddaway

Duration: 45 minutes.

Ticket price: 15 Eur.

The project is partially financed by the Lithuanian Culture Council.

ENG:
Performance by Anton Ovchinnikov

Duration 45 minutes

In June 2022, Mikhail Piotrovskiy, director of the Hermitage Museum, controversially referred to Russian art exhibitions abroad as a "special cultural operation." At the same time, Russian classical ballet continues to be one of the country's most prominent cultural exports—a global symbol of Russian artistic achievement and refinement. Although classical ballet originated in France and evolved into a shared cultural treasure of the world, it has, over time, become deeply intertwined with Russia's artistic identity.

Today, as Russian forces wreak havoc on Ukrainian cities and civilians , the country's global image is undergoing a profound transformation, shifting from one of beauty and refinement to inhumanity and destruction. This raises difficult questions: Can classical ballet still serve as a symbol of elegance and culture when the country it represents is associated with brutality and violence? Can it continue to act as a glossy veneer, concealing the lawlessness, anti-humanism, and imperial ambitions of the Russian elite?

"Beauty of the Beast" offers a dystopian reimagining of classical ballet in a society where the arts are co-opted to serve the military-industrial complex, subordinated to state ideology, and propaganda. It envisions a traditional ballet class as a regimented training ground for producing the "perfect soldier," where classical technique is repurposed as an aestheticized form of violence—an assault on the human body and spirit.

Based on Anton Ovchinnikov's poem "New Russian Ballet," written at the onset of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, the performance interrogates how war can irrevocably alter the perception of ballet—a refined art form once deeply rooted in European culture, now implicated in a nation's authoritarian narrative.

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The performance created with the support of Movement Research (USA) and Workshop Foundation (Hungary)

Idea and performance: Anton Ovchinnikov

Music: P. Tchaikovsky, A. Ovchinnikov, Bee Gees, Haddaway

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