Creation Carnage & Culture
For those existing in the information spaces tailored by mainstream and social media platforms, it is easy to fall into the habit of falsely perceiving Ukraine as an almost entirely war-torn, razed country. Whose towns and cities lay almost wholly in ruins from a constant bombardment of Russian drone and missile attacks. Backstage at Kyivs October Palace.
While carnage and slaughter are the unfortunate reality for many living across its eastern frontline, especially in the devastated Donetsk region, the country still has a landmass of 603,628 km² (or, in other words, 2.4 United Kingdoms). There is still space for the people here to pursue everyday life, albeit with their unique brand of fierce yet humble resilience.
A Beacon of Hope & Resilience
Recently, I was fortunate enough to attend one such display of cultural fortitude at a traditional dance event held at the International Centre for Culture and the Arts in Kyiv (Otherwise known as the October Palace). This large, imposing building stands grandiosely atop a hill facing the Slavik metropolis skyline. Its nine magnificent four-storey pillars support a grand oval entrance overlooking Independence Square.
A beige building that, in the often clear blue skyed evenings of Ukraine crip winter sunsets, is lit with a sublime orange hue. It is a spectacle that reflects its position figuratively as the structure of beauty and symbolically as a beacon of Ukrainian cultural strength and determination.
A small yet steadfast flame of achievement and promise refusing its smothering by a blanket of Russian oppression and destruction.
A Warm Welcome
I arrived there to meet a woman named Irochka, whom I had contacted less than 24 hours before the event through another friend I had met briefly a few days before. I took a shot in the dark, asking to document the event backstage. In almost every scenario, I know that doing such a thing in a place like the UK would result in absolute rejection, in every case scenario, especially as I would be entering the changing rooms of those under 18.
Although we had never met, Irochka met me with a beaming smile and the energy of an eager labrador. Her golden fur jacket, a staple of Ukrainian fashion, only cemented this parallel further. Management had not discussed any details with me before the event, so I was unsure how the evening would look.
After our brief introductions at the building entrance, I received a swift escort through a large gate at the rear and across a car park, where the event director waited. Once we connected, Irochka departed. Then, I received guidance through the backstage areas, collecting a quick orientation on navigating the buildings’ long, narrow, and beautifully kitsch corridors.
With only minutes to go before the show commenced, I couldn’t believe the attention I received and felt guilty for stealing the stressed director from his work. But he wanted to be sure I wouldn’t stumble onto the stage at any point in the show’s performance, a point he potently iterated once last time before we went our separate ways. But that was it. After the short introduction and orientation, I was free to roam the building.
The Basement Before The Show
Knowing I had only half an hour before the dancers were on stage, I immediately rushed to the basement changing rooms located under the stage. These large turquoise blue spaces, filled with mirrors and connected by a retro wood-clad corridor with strong, vertical lines, were hives of frenzied activity.
The preparatory energy in these creative avenues was pulsating tangibly. And, as I continued to advance in and out of the rare gaps of space between bodies, it felt like I was performing a unique dance style to myself, a photographer’s waltz, albeit away from the crowds and lights.
Twenty-one dance groups from all over Ukraine were to perform in the evening’s show, each making sometimes extensive journeys to be there. In addition to attracting a whole theatre of eager spectators, several stunning female presenters were there with their plump camera operators to broadcast the talent on air to local TV stations.
Curtain Calling
Soon enough, the curtain called, and the rooms emptied with the speed and efficiency of well-disciplined military units. Suddenly, I was alone, surrounded only by the chaotic sprawl of makeup, costumes, and other theatrical artefacts.
Of course, I pulled a few stragglers aside to capture their portraits in the less-anarchic setting. Of course, I had to be fast. However, because they were natural performers, each subject almost instinctively moulded themselves into beautiful compositions for me. Each portrait lasted mere seconds.
Vyshyvankas & Vinoks
The traditional clothing adorned by the dancers is a conventional dress style mostly worn by ethnic Ukrainians on special occasions. However, if you visit the proper villages, you can still see people adorning them regularly. However, these tend to be the older generations.
The most famous traditional Ukrainian clothing items are embroidered shirts (Vyshyvanka), typically made from hemp or linen, cloth sashes, and flower crowns (Vinok). These variants differ between the four macroregions of Ukraine: Polissia, Lisostep, Step and Carpathians. Other key influences on style include gender, social status, and wealth.
I couldn’t help but appreciate the intricate beauty of each garment in the changing rooms. However, it wasn’t until witnessing it on stage that I could behold their true magnificence. After ascending from the basement and circling an old cage-style elevator in the centre of a staircase, I entered the main hall from a side door to see the dancers hard at work executing their well-rehearsed choreography. Spirals, swirls, pivots, and jumps animated the blossoming threads as if I were watching spring unfold on fast-forward.
Remaining Resilient
Sometime early in the evening, before anyone decided to disappear, there was a pause to invite several suits and men in uniform on stage. I don’t speak Ukrainian, but the interlude evidently had something to do with congratulating these men and reinforcing the audience’s sense of nationalism—a point reinforced by the numerous chants of “Slava Ukraine” (Glory to Ukraine).
After 11 years of war with Russia, Ukrainians are tired. Many have explained to me that the stress of the war is making them mentally and physically sick. However, they remain unflinching in their determined optimism despite it taking very little for people in the country to break down when discussing the subject.
It is why these events are so crucial. These displays are essential to increase patriotism, recognise the work done by those on the frontlines, and promote the citizens’ well-being in the pockets of freedom for which their brave brothers and sisters are dying to defend.
The Pule of Perfomance
Throughout the performance, which lasted around four and a half hours, the dressing rooms saw a constant and steady flow of new groups entering and those rushing in and out for their costume changes. As you can imagine, with over 20 groups to perform, the movement in the backstage area was, at times, more vigorous than on the stage itself.
Besides one older woman, I noticed that she didn’t move from her chair the entire time. Nor did I ever see her with a smartphone in her hand. I think she, too, understood the beauty and allure of the behind-the-curtain pageant.
A Dark History
As the evening progressed, I continued to move throughout the grand building, exploring all four gloriously tiled marble-covered floors as best I could. All were spacious, with high ceilings and dimly lit with soft yellow light.
Russian architect, Vikentiy Beretti, originally designed the building as the Kyiv Institute for Noble Maidens, which provided secondary education for girls of noble descent. However, after the Russian Revolution in 1917, the Cheka (later known as the KGB) took over the space.
Between 1930 and 1940, approximately 120,000 Ukrainians—including renowned Soviet artists, painters, writers, politicians, professors, teachers, scientists, and priests—met their fate here, likely in the basement. Among them were Hryhorii Kosynka, Mykola Ivasyuk, Maik Yohansen, and Mykhail Semenko. Their bodies secretly transported to the outskirts of Kyiv, to the Bykivnia Forest, and buried.
It would remain in the hands of the Cheka until the first battle of Kyiv (1941), when Axis forces encircled and decimated the Soviet Union Red Army. Then, in the second battle of Kyiv (1943), it once again changed hands back into the grasp of the USSR.
During this period of extensive destruction, 85% of Kyiv was atomised to dust and rubble, which is why most of the city’s architecture is relatively modern. This building required expensive reconstruction efforts between 1952 and 1959, and then it became the grand theatre hall it is today.
Indeed, it is a building with a dark past. Still, to see what it has become today, in the hands of a country pursuing democracy, it is a stark reminder of why the tentacles of the Russian state must never penetrate these walls again.
Time to Appreciate
Of course, I wasn’t always on my feet. With the mesmerising display, how could one not sit and appreciate the show? Fortunately, there were free seats on the balcony, which was also full of dancers, where I sat, lens cap on, to appreciate the evening’s program. That was between the roaring applause that half deafened me as they cried for their fellow artists.
In a country so downtrodden and weary, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with a positive sense of inspiration and hope to witness these Ukrainians express themselves with authentic elation. And I long for the day to behold the same passionate climatic release of energy expressed on the country’s streets following the end of this long-winded and immorally underhanded war. Let it come soon.
Becoming History
This dance event and many other cultural occasions like it continue to take place in Ukraine. They are the symbols of hope and resilience of a tired yet determined people resolute to continue fighting doggedly against the increasing onslaught of Russian oppression. They have seen it before and understand what is at stake.
Yet, Ukraine and its people are far from caving into this external daemon. I, for one, feel privileged to be here in Ukraine at this point in history and to witness people with such unyielding tenacity and courage create in this time of persistent destruction. Slava Ukraine, indeed. Backstage at Kyivs October Palace Backstage at Kyivs October Palace Backstage at Kyivs October Palace Backstage at Kyivs October Palace.