In his role as Hear the World ambassador, ballet dancer Sergei Polunin held a dance workshop for members of the "Angely Nadezhdy" dance group in Moscow.
"Angely Nadezhdy" (“Angels of Hope”) is a Russian dance group for children with hearing loss and has 40 members between the ages of 6 and 15. The dance group has already won several international awards and, amongst others, has also performed at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Paralympic Games in Sochi.
Ballet dancer Sergei Polunin is regarded as exceptionally talented. In 2010, having completed his training at the Kiev Choreographic Institute and the British Royal Ballet School, he became the Royal Ballet’s youngest ever principal dancer. Today, he is a principal with the Stanislavsky Music Theater in Moscow and the Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. “Dancers learn to appreciate and develop their ability to hear and perceive sounds and music from a very young age - dance is the soul music embodied in the movements. Now, when there are so many information and communication means around us, it is very important not to forget about the people who, for various reasons, can’t hear – totally or partially. The Hear the World Foundation reminds us that people with hearing loss want to hear and to be heard, and to live the full life too. I’m very glad to have the possibility to support this important mission" says Sergei Polunin.
The aim of the creative workshop was to teach the children the basics of classical ballet and rehearse a new choreography for one of their future performances. “Most of the children in our dance group have profound hearing loss and they have never attended a classical ballet performance. A dance workshop with Sergei Polunin, a living legend of classical ballet, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the children,” says Alena Orlova, the artistic director of the "Angely Nadezhdy" dance group.
All participants at the dance workshop have also been given new hearing aids from Phonak Russia. These devices can help them improve their speech comprehension and communicate better with one another.