“Culture in Ukraine is political”

Clément Guillaume grew up in Poitiers. The one who discovered his passion at Bernadette Collas’ dance school is now part of the National Ballet of Ukraine. A choice as political as it is artistic for the 26-year-old Poitevin. He plays in Paris, at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, until Sunday January 5, 2025 with his Ukrainian troupe in an adaptation of The Snow Queen.

How did your passion for dance begin?

Clément Guillaume: “It was my big sister who danced in Biard. With my mother, I went to see his end of year show. I was 8 or 9 years old and I thought I was going to be bored… But I didn’t take my eyes off the stage. I also enrolled in the course until I was 14 before moving to Bordeaux then Amsterdam. »

Do you remember what it felt like to dance for the first time?

“I told my mother that dancing to Music is what I like. I was enrolled at the Poitiers Music Conservatory at the same time and combining that with the rigor of dance, that’s what made me vibrate. »

Why not choose the French route via the Paris Opera?

“I tried the Paris Opera! But I wasn’t caught. Then, I had a choice to make. I was taken to the Paris Conservatory and the Amsterdam Conservatory. I made this choice because I always had the impression that my dance appealed more abroad. This is also why I then left for the United States. I have a small size which corresponds less to the French canons. »

What is your style?

“I don’t have a particular technique but it’s a mixture of all the teachers I’ve had since the start of my career. By combining everything they taught me, I was able to create a way to move in classical. »

In the summer of 2020, you were injured, how does a dancer experience this immobilization?

“It’s very difficult, especially at that age in your 20s. It’s horrible… We think we’ll never be able to dance again. I was working in the United States at the time. I came back to France to have an ankle operation at the sports clinic in Bordeaux. It took me a year to get back up to speed. We fear that the body will never be the same again…”

And does the return to the stage bring joy or apprehension?

“When I dance, I think about my ankle… I am much more attentive to my body. I dance differently, that’s for sure. For boys, in ballet, the technical demand is enormous, so we take risks. I know if it comes back, I won’t be able to stop it. We try to have a good state of mind to have fun above all. »

For a year and a half, you joined the National Ballet of Ukraine, is it a political act?

“It’s also an act of love! I worked in a dance company in Brussels. There I met Maria, a Ukrainian dancer. Naturally, I followed her to her country. We moved to kyiv in August 2023 [la Russie a lancé son offensive militaire dans la nuit du 23 au 24 février 2022]. We auditioned for the opera and we were both accepted. It’s an extraordinary opportunity. »

How do we live in a country that is at war?

“It’s my way of taking a stand. I want to show Maria that I support her country. I wasn’t afraid to settle in Ukraine. My family does… and that’s completely normal. But I see it as a way to lighten the daily lives of Ukrainian ballet lovers and there are many of them in kyiv. Culture in Ukraine is political. The last thing that will fall in kyiv is the theater! It never closed. Even when there were only ten dancers left, they continued. Their resilience is inspiring. »

Until Sunday, you are playing in Paris at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in “Frozen”. Is it a pleasure to return to your country?

“Yes, it feels good to come back to France. It also does the Ukrainians good to show the French that they are not giving up and that culture is still present in their country. At the same time, it is important for the French to see that the Ukrainians are not giving up. There are lots of beautiful things happening on the kyiv opera stage. We are capable of producing beautiful shows even in times of war. It’s important to show that in France. »