海角大神

Everyone is here.

Overnight strikes by Russian missiles and attack drones on the Black Sea port city of Odesa have just killed three people, wounded others, destroyed apartments and businesses, and forced the closure of major traffic arteries.

But this very next morning, at the jewel box of an opera house in the city鈥檚 historic center, dancers, musicians, choreographers, set designers, stagehands, and youth dance instructors and their diminutive charges 鈥� all are present for a full day of rehearsals for the children鈥檚 ballet 鈥淭humbelina,鈥� which is set to open in 48 hours.

It鈥檚 been this way at the Odesa Opera聽鈥� officially, the聽Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre聽鈥� since shortly after Russia鈥檚 full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, the opera house 鈥� though in so many places the art form is dismissed as an elitist art form with little relevance to today鈥檚 challenges and mindsets 鈥� has emerged as an immanent pole of strength, support, and solace for a city living under the clouds of war and aggression.

鈥淲e try to be as strong and resilient as we can, not just for ourselves, but as a support for Odesa and all of Ukraine,鈥� says Liudmyla Serhiychuk, public relations assistant to the Odesa Opera鈥檚 general director. 鈥淵ou see that despite a night of explosions, everyone is on hand for rehearsals.鈥�

The opera house, built in the Vienna baroque style in 1887, has long been known as the 鈥減earl of Odesa.鈥� But over recent years, the opera and ballet companies housed in it have become much more.

鈥淲e are more than this beautiful building; we are the heart of our city,鈥� Ms. Serhiychuk says. 鈥淎nd when the people see this heart is beating, this gives them hope.鈥�

That conviction about a cultural institution鈥檚 role in feeding a besieged city鈥檚 soul is what led a shuttered opera to defiantly reopen on March 12, 2022 鈥� just over two weeks after Russia launched its invasion.

Attendance at the initial wartime performances was limited to the 450 patrons who could be accommodated in the building鈥檚 bomb shelter. (Since then, shelter space has been expanded so that now an audience of over 1,100 can be accommodated.)

Perhaps more important, the opera opened its doors to Ukrainians most affected by the war and took its works 鈥� and its beating heart 鈥� outside its walls.

Dancers performed on the square outside the building, opera and ballet employees marched to protest Russia鈥檚 aggression, military families and Ukrainians displaced by the war were offered free admission to events, and singers and dancers performed at military camps.

To mark Ukraine鈥檚 Independence Day last August, singers offered a program of arias and patriotic anthems on the opera鈥檚 fountain-splashed plaza that left many in the audience of several hundred in tears.

鈥淲e鈥檝e even done flash mobs around the city,鈥� says Harry Sevoyan, the Odesa ballet鈥檚 chief choreographer. 鈥淲e are constantly looking for ways to take what we do outside these walls to the world of everyday living.鈥�

What makes that outreach especially important now is that Odesans鈥� 鈥渆veryday living鈥� is marked by war.

鈥淎ll of the fighting, the bombings and explosions, and the constant uncertainty can be depressing,鈥� adds musical director Volodymyr Vrublevsky. 鈥淐ultural events can be such an important antidote,鈥� he says, 鈥渟o we at the opera have made it a priority to go out and help keep the people鈥檚 spirits up.鈥�

The decision to produce a ballet based on the Hans 海角大神 Andersen fairy tale 鈥淭humbelina鈥� was motivated by a desire to reach out to Odesa鈥檚 children with something beautiful, action-filled, and ultimately happy.

鈥淭his is a show about hope and courage, and in the end, good things happening,鈥� says Mr. Vrublevsky.

For Mr. Sevoyan, creating a show based on Andersen鈥檚 tale of a tiny girl who faces many challenges in a number of threatening worlds before finding a happy home seemed just right for Ukraine鈥檚 children at this moment.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the story of going through dark times as we are in Ukraine but ending up in a safe and beautiful place,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e wanted to tell the children, 鈥楬ope is coming back!鈥欌��

And it was important to make the show 鈥� despite its fantastic worlds with sometimes sweet, sometimes aggressive and frightening animal characters 鈥� a reflection of Ukraine.

For that, the producers turned to senior costume and set designer Anna Ipatieva. Under her guidance, the tulip that Thumbelina is traditionally born in became a cotton flower, and costumes included more of the yellow and sky blue of the Ukrainian flag. A large teardrop that reigns over a number of scenes became a drop of morning dew, 鈥渟o instead of sadness we have a symbol of renewal and hope,鈥� she says.

Most important for Ms. Ipatieva was the use of a large map of Ukraine 鈥� unabashedly including the Crimean Peninsula and the areas of southeastern Ukraine that Russia now occupies 鈥� as a dominant backdrop in the show鈥檚 final scenes.

鈥淲hen Thumbelina is stolen by the mole creatures, the map turns red. It鈥檚 the equivalent of our air raid sirens and the fires of the Russian aggression,鈥� she says.

But by the final scene, when Thumbelina is delivered to her happy home by elves with angel wings 鈥� those angels representing the fallen heroes of Ukraine鈥檚 fight for freedom, Ms. Ipatieva says 鈥� the map has turned yellow and blue.

鈥淢y point is not for children to come to the show to see war, but to use a context of war like the one we are experiencing to reassure the children that Ukraine is our home of hope and happiness,鈥� she says.

As the audience for the pre-premiere dress rehearsal for 鈥淭humbelina鈥� pours out into the Odesa sunshine on a recent afternoon, it is unclear how much of an impression the show鈥檚 symbolism and messaging made on the children in attendance.

A group of boys from a Thai boxing class attending the show with their coach are all thumbs-up. They liked the jumping and leaping and fighting scenes best.

鈥淚鈥檓 not sure how much they grasped of the references to our situation today. I鈥檓 not sure I got it all myself,鈥� says coach Sarhis Kratchatrian. 鈥淏ut what did come through from the show is that Ukraine will go on and hope will prevail,鈥� he adds. 鈥淎nd I think in some ways [the boys] felt that.鈥�

With the war becoming the government鈥檚 top priority, the Odesa Opera has lost its national subsidies. The institution is more dependent on ticket sales, and to replace lost funding, the widely acclaimed opera and ballet companies have multiplied the number of revenue-generating shows they perform in European cities.

A quest for deep-pocketed patrons and sponsors goes on.

But no lack of funding is going to dim the opera鈥檚 enthusiasm for serving its city and buoying spirits, says Ms. Serhiychuk, the public relations assistant.

鈥淭here鈥檚 the old saying in the performing arts: 鈥楾he show must go on,鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淣ow that saying means something very different and very important for us. We see the opera as the front line for our city in this period of war,鈥� she adds. 鈥淲e must go on to keep the heart beating and give people hope.鈥�

Oleksandr Naselenko supported reporting for this story.