Kyiv ballet couple hope for peace through dance
JAPAN NEWS-YOMIURI
Kyiv Classic Ballet member Yevhenii Petrenko and principal Mie Nagasawa, his wife, are seen Monday in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture.
TOKYO >> A couple from the Kyiv Classic Ballet who fled the Ukrainian capital with their son have settled in Saitama prefecture.
Kyiv Classic Ballet principal Mie Nagasawa; her husband, Yevhenii Petrenko; and their 1-year-old son, Brian, are residing at her parents’ home in the prefecture. Petrenko has since joined the local ballet company.
It was in early February when the family’s life in Kyiv completely changed. While Nagasawa was on tour with the company, she received messages from the Japanese Embassy in Ukraine urging her to flee the country.
“At that time I never thought that war would happen, and I also wanted to remain on tour,” said Nagasawa, 36. “But as our son is still young, we decided that the three of us would go to Japan, for the time being, for his safety. We had intended to return to Ukraine after a little while.”
Since Russia began its invasion, Petrenko has received photos and videos sent by his friends and relatives in Ukraine. On his smartphone were images of a soot-covered child being rescued, a shelled building, a burned road.
“I was shocked to find that our towns appeared to have fallen into ruin,” said Petrenko, his voice quavering. “I have no idea what has become of our apartment.”
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While in Saitama, Petrenko, 28, auditioned for the NBA Ballet Company, based in Tokorozawa, and was hired earlier this month.
“I heard the situation was far beyond what I could have imagined,” said Koichi Kubo, the company’s artistic director. “I thought we should somehow create an environment where he can dance without feeling the threat of the war.”
Petrenko, who took part in military service in his early 20s, has mixed feelings.
“I also have a desire to go back to my home country right away, but what I can do now is to perform ballet,” he said. “I will dance with love to the world, with gratitude for the help extended to us by all kinds of people.”
His first performance with the company will be May 28 in “The Little Mermaid.”
“I would like to show the world the preciousness of peace through my dancing,” Petrenko said.
