For Ivan Putrov, student at the College of Choreography in Kyiv, a turning point in his life began in 1995 when he was conferred the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland and won the first prize of the Second Serge Lifar International Ballet Contest in his hometown.
The victory in Lausanne gave him the right to choose where to polish his choreographic skill. Ivan chose London, first at the Royal Ballet School and then Covent Garden where he was invited as one of the best graduates. He did not experience any problems joining the famous ballet company. In Kyiv he had had good training, mastering high ballet techniques and accumulating stage experience. In the UK, his talent received fresh opportunities; contacts with world- renowned professors and partners have helped him scale to new ballet summits and master new techniques.
He would first appear in threes and fours, often performing quite sophisticated variations. It was there he familiarized himself with the choreography of George Balanchine and Sir Kenneth MacMillan. At the end of last year, he was assigned the leading part in Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker staged by Peter Wright, known for his numerous stage versions of the ballet to the music of the great Russian composer.
At first, Ivan would dance as one of Clara’s guests. Remarkably, an art critic with the mighty Sunday Times dedicated two paragraphs in his review of the premiere to the young man’s rendition, stressing that it was truly significant. The learned critic noted the dancer’s ability to portray an ardent boyish character and combine emotional portrayal with light pas. Another thing he liked about the 19-year-old student of the Kyiv school was his being careful to remember that the audience’s impression depends on the most minute of details in one’s rendition. And so, unlike dancers who lost all interest in what was happening on stage once out of the limelight, Ivan continued to communicate with Clara, the movements of his hands being especially expressive.
Ivan Putrov’s debut as Nutcracker was quite successful. Among the applauding audience that night was his mother, Natalia Berezina, former soloist with the Ukrainian National Opera. She took a picture of her son with Professor Peter Wright during intermission. After his triumphal debut Ivan received another interesting offer, yet he declined comment as every real actor would: don’t say anything in advance.
