Ukrainian Ballet Librettos:
(De)Stabilizing Nationalism through
the Female Dancing Body
Ania Nikulina
Binghamton University
Elena Veselova, Leading Dancer, National Opera of Ukraine, 1930’s
1936 picture of Veselova as of a local Ukrainian girl with an inscription on the back of the photo “Ukrainian Dance from Zaporozhets za Dunaem. Veselova,” taken during the first Decade of Ukrainian Art and Literature in Moscow in 1936
Future site of Vasyl Slipak Park, honoring Ukraine’s famed opera singer.
National Anthem of Ukraine
English translation of 2003 edition of 1863 Pavlo Chubynsky’s poem, adopted as the official state anthem in 1992:
Ukraine has not yet died, nor her glory, nor her freedom,
Upon us, fellow Ukrainians, fate shall smile once more.
Our enemies will vanish, like the dew in the sun,
And we too shall rule, brothers, in a free land of our own.
Refrain (×2)
Souls and bodies we'll lay down, all for our freedom,
And we'll show that we, brothers, are of the Cossack nation!
We'll stand, brothers, in bloody battle, from the Syan to the Don,
We will not allow others to rule in our motherland.
The Black Sea will smile and grandfather Dnipro will rejoice,
For in our own Ukraine fortune shall shine again.
Refrain (×2)
Our persistence and our sincere toils will be rewarded,
And freedom's song will throughout all of Ukraine resound.
Echoing off the Carpathians, and across the steppes rumbling,
Ukraine's fame and glory will be known among all nations
Tamara Vasilieva
State Ballet Artist’s Questionnaire (Introduction)
Preamble in the top left corner: “1. Prior to filling out the questionnaire, it is necessary to get acquainted with its questions to provide correct answers. 2. The answers have to be written in details, clearly and comprehensively, omissions are prohibited.”
Full name and address of the institution; position held
1. Last name; First Name; Patronymic name
2. If a name change occurred, indicate the initial ones, reasons for name change, when and where did this happen
3. Year, month and date of birth
4. The place of birth (in accordance to the new naming and administrative structure): city; street; number of the house; selo [village]; raion [district]; oblast’ [district?]
Indicate the dates of living at this address
5. Nationality
6. Social position
Tamara Vasilieva
Tamara Vasilieva
Tamara Vasilieva
Document Types – Full 1
- Librettos (to most productions)
- Correspondence with the Department of Arts of the Ukrainian SSR on the reconstruction of the theater (late 1930s)
- Operations accounting plans (most years)
- Correspondence with the Department of Arts of the Ukrainian SSR regarding the construction of the theater building (late 1930s)
- Annual economic activity reports
- Directors’ orders for core activities and staff
- Workers' schedule and estimates of administrative and management expenses
- Decisions and orders of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Ukrainian SSR
- Correspondence with the head of the Office of Arts at the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and individuals regarding repertoire and new productions.
- Contracts with artists in the rank of Honored People’s Artist.
- Production and financial plans
Document Types – Full 2
- Correspondence with the Central Committee of USSR and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR on theatre repertoire, new productions, staffing of the theater troupe, improvement of creative activity.
- Documents on the organization of the celebration of anniversaries of artists in the rank of Honored People’s Artist
- Contracts with artists on the design and production of performances
- The act of acceptance and transfer of cases when changing the director of the theater
- Meetings of Art Council in conjunction with the participants of the productions
- Minutes of the meetings of the commission of leading theater artists
- Minutes and acceptance acts of ballet production meetings
- Minutes of the meetings of the theater staff
- Journal of the theatre host
- The plan of safety measures and the report on the victims of accidents
- Estimates for the supply of performances
Document Types – Full 3
- Orders of the Committee on Arts (most years)
- Passport of theater (most years)
- Transcripts of the Art Council meetings
- Documents on the tours of the theater
- Documents on the work of the directing and conducting committee
- Documents on the preparation for the Decade of Ukrainian Art Festival in Moscow
- Materials on the centenary of the founding of the theater and the celebration of the anniversary
- Plans for foreign artists to stay on tour in Kiev (1957 and other years)
- Orders of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR and the USSR
- List of theater artists going on tour to Cuba in 1963 (and other countries, different years)
- Congratulatory letters and telegrams of the organizations and individuals to the theater and individual actors who came from the republics of the USSR and from abroad in 1964
- Correspondence with foreign theater organizations and individual artists on the tour of theater artists abroad
Papers vs Performances���
Ukrainian Librettos
Thank you!