Ukrainian Star Choreographer Presents Major New Ballet in Copenhagen

On Saturday, November 1, the world premiere of The Art of the Fugue will take place – a major new ballet created by world-renowned Ukrainian choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, set to Johann Sebastian Bach’s legendary and unfinished masterpiece Die Kunst der Fuge (The Art of the Fugue).

“The piece is not political at all,” says Alexei Ratmansky. “But in my heart I dedicate it to Ukraine”.

The production was originally scheduled to premiere in Moscow in 2022, but following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ratmansky – who grew up in Kyiv – chose to leave the country in protest. Now, he completes the work instead in collaboration with the Royal Danish Ballet – a remarkable artistic achievement and a major world premiere for the Royal Danish Theatre.

"I am both honored and moved that Alexei has chosen our company specifically as his voice for a cause that, in these years, weighs so heavily on many people's minds," says Ballet Director Amy Watson. "When you consider the geopolitical climate and all the serious and tragic challenges we are currently facing globally, it becomes all the more important that this work is completed and reaches its audience." 

Ratmansky is one of the most sought-after choreographers of our time, known for his ability to merge classical ballet tradition with modern, original ideas. In The Art of the Fugue, he creates an abstract, almost cosmic ballet in five acts, where the structure and variations of the music are transformed into pure movement.

The Art of the Fugue can be experienced for the very first time at the Royal Danish Theatre’s Old Stage on November 1.