Stand by me

Vladyslav began working on the production Stand by Me as part of the Noverre program at the Stuttgart Ballet in Germany. Together with the talented dancers Maceo Gerard and Ruth Schultz, he successfully premiered a 16-minute work.

Immersed deeply in the world and story of the piece, Vladyslav felt there was more to express. Recognizing that the work could convey more and reveal additional layers of the narrative, he later decided to expand it. With the support of the Letterenfonds, United Ukrainian Ballet, and Korzo, Vladyslav and his partner Veronika Rakitina began the development process, and the premiere took place in The Hague, Netherlands. As a result, Stand by Me evolved into a complete one-act performance, danced by Vladyslav and Veronika.

The performance tells the haunting story of a young woman caught between two worlds: the realm of ghosts and the tangible reality. Having lost her beloved, she drifts through a fragile boundary where dreams and illusions blur, unable to tell what is real and what is imagined. In creating this work, Vladyslav explores the profound pain of losing those we love, the essential power of support for those in need, and the delicate human desire for empathy and understanding. The cinematographic visuals, the expressive movement, and the impactful music by Ukrainian-Dutch composer Maxim Shalygin and Ukrainian composer Yurii Shepeta give the performance an almost surreal, immersive quality, turning it into a experience that borders on horror, yet remains deeply intimate and poetic.