THE BOY FROM KYIV

The career of an acclaimed choreographer.

Dance writer Harss makes a lively book debut with an appreciative, richly detailed, generously illustrated biography of dancer and choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, formerly director of the Bolshoi Ballet, artist in residence at the American Ballet Theatre, and presently artist in residence at the New York City Ballet. Born in Leningrad in 1968 to Ukrainian parents, he began studying dance at the famed Bolshoi Academy. Because students from the Soviet republics were referred to by their place of origin, the young Alexei became known as “the boy from Kyiv.” Harss recounts the trajectory of Ratmansky’s dancing career: the National Ballet of Ukraine, which sent him touring to Western Europe, Japan, and Mexico; the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, where he was promoted to principal dancer; and the Royal Danish Ballet. Besides dancing, he began to create works, and by the end of 2002, he had made nearly 30 ballets, including two full-length pieces. Invited to become the director of the Bolshoi Ballet in 2003, Ratmansky faced a difficult challenge: The venerable company, with nearly 230 dancers, was suspicious of him. At first, his strategy “was to simply ignore the grumblings and keep moving forward,” but the struggle wore him down. In 2009, he accepted an invitation from the American Ballet Theatre. Harss insightfully chronicles Ratmansky’s works, many characterized by “youthful nonchalance” and irreverent charm, others paying homage to acclaimed choreographers such as Petipa and Bournonville. Ratmansky, Harss writes, “is a playful absurdist, an artist who combines the oddity of Lewis Carroll and Daniil Kharms with the glow of Tiepolo and the vulnerability of Mozart.” Although Ratmansky has drawn from international influences, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has inspired in him “a sense of belonging,” he told Harss, “and it’s something very new to me. I feel it is my duty to support Ukrainian culture.”

A delightful gift for ballet fans.