English National Ballet Dancer Vsevolod Maievskyi’s Journey to Loving Ballet

In 2018, Vsevolod Maievskyi achieved his dream of joining the Mariinsky Ballet. For four years, Maievskyi was onstage night after night, dancing everything from demanding corps parts to Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, a role in which he debuted at age 23. Originally from Kyiv, Ukraine, Maievskyi made the decision to leave the Mariinsky in 2022. He danced with Dresden Semperoper Ballett from 2022–23 and joined English National Ballet last year as a junior soloist.

Maievskyi’s dancing is polished yet relaxed (something he attributes to a background in ballroom dance), and imbued with innate charisma. And while he’s still settling into his new life in London, his passion for ballet remains ablaze. “I often ask myself why I do this, and the answer is simple: I just love it,” he says.

Ballroom Beginnings

“My mom started me in ballroom dance at age 5—I didn’t even start ballet until I was 12. There are so many benefits to training in ballroom dance. It taught me how to really feel each position, how to connect with my partner, and how to diversify my movements.”

A Competitive Edge

“I grew up in Kyiv, Ukraine, and I always had big dreams. Ballet competitions like Youth America Grand Prix helped me see a future in ballet. I competed in 2016 and 2018, and those scholarships helped start my career.”

A Singular Art Form

“The experience of watching and dancing ballet is unique. It makes you feel alive. Life is so fragile, and anything can happen. To me, it doesn’t matter how perfect your technique is or if you messed up during a show. What matters is that you danced with real emotion and gave something to the audience.”

Character Studies

“When getting ready for a role, music is everything. When I hear it, I really feel it—sometimes, I can almost start to cry. I don’t even need to read anything about the character, I just let the music inspire me. I also like to learn from other dancers, and watching them perform roles. You can always learn something about yourself through another person’s dancing.”

Everything and More

“I want to dance so many different ballets, from classics like Don Quixote, La Bayadère, and Études, to Edward Clug’s Radio and Juliet, or works by David Dawson and William Forsythe. I’m so open to everything and am hungry to dance and learn.”