YEREVAN-ODESSA, Ukraine — Ballet dancer and choreographer, Honored Artist of Ukraine Garry Sevoyan (born in 1968) graduated from the Baku Choreographic School in 1986 and was accepted to the Baku Academic Opera and Ballet Theater as a dancer. Since 1989 he worked at the Yerevan Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. In 1992-1993 he was a leading ballet dancer at the Kharkov Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. In 1999, he danced at the Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater as a leading soloist. Among his roles were Albert (“Giselle”), Solor (“La Bayadere”), Basil and Espada (“Don Quixote”), Young Man (“Paquita,” “Chopiniana”), Mephistopheles (“Walpurgis Night”), etc. In parallel with his work in the theater he studied at the Faculty of Choreography of the International Slavic University in Kharkov, specializing in ballet directing, teaching of choreographic disciplines.” Since 2014 he has been the head of the ballet company of Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater. In 2023 he graduated from the postgraduate program of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. He has directed a number of performances, as well as written articles in academic publications. Since 2019 he has taught at the Ushynsky South Ukrainian Pedagogical University. Sevoyan is a member of the National Choreographic Union of Ukraine and the Expert Council of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.
Garry, you have long been based in Odessa. How is artistic life in general like today in war-time Odessa?
It is actually very difficult. It is difficult to organize the working process; it is difficult to prepare new performances. I schedule the work of the ballet company by the minute. We have only one big ballet hall. When the air-raid sirens go off, the work stops, and the whole schedule is thrown off. You have to coordinate the ballet company in real time. During performances, it is even more difficult; I need to be present before the end of any performance so that in the event of an alarm I can quickly decide how to continue the performance, what can be cut without losing the context of the performance and have time to finish the performance before curfew. I am not talking about myself, whose workday lasts up to 12 hours, but the performers! During the time of anxiety, their muscles cool down. You have to warm up again and again to avoid injury. It is a traumatizing profession even in peacetime, let alone today. In addition, there is a huge psychological and moral pressure. Even if the bombardment takes place at the other end of the city, the hall shakes terribly. Just imagine when it is near. Both buildings where my mom and I live were affected one day. A drone was shot down next to the building. I woke up at night, my feet were bloody, the building’s up in smoke. All the windows were shattered. I went to my mom’s apartment, and there was a rocket hitting the mall. Even the interior doors were split in half. I had to treat my dog for a month. The dog still hears the alarm signal and immediately runs to the restroom….
I wish this terrible war would end as soon as possible and you are able to return to a normal working routine.
During this time there have been many premieres and tours. The performances continue despite the quarantine, lockdown and war. A lot of people have left, the repertoire has become very poor. We are working on new projects, but everything needs time and human resources. In order to lead a large team, each of whom is a personality, you have to set an example. You have to be a personality. There are different leaders who keep the team in fear. I believe that it is necessary to remain a decent person. I am sure it is also possible. In any case, I have been managing for more than 10 years.
Garry, you performed the role of princes in the classical repertoire. How do you prepare for it?