“You need art in wartime (because) history cannot exist without the discipline of imagination.” — Thomas Jefferson

Creative imagination at its most disciplined and visceral will be on high-flying display on a Costa Mesa stage Saturday night, Nov. 12 as “Reunited in Dance” brings together 18 dancers from the Ukraine, Russia and other countries, in a ballet program spiritually pushing back against the war overseas.

As one of the dancers, Ilya Jivoy, a Russian dancer/choreographer who has been in self-exile since Russia invaded Ukraine said, “I am incredibly proud and happy to be part of this exceptional community of like-minded people.

“And I am grateful to everyone who made this project possible.”

In philanthropic leadership, Elizabeth Segerstrom, along with the Henry T. and Elizabeth Segerstrom Foundation, is presenting the performance in association with the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

“I am humbled,” Segerstrom said in October as early rehearsals took place in Costa Mesa, “to be able to play a role in bringing together these artists, who come from many different countries and backgrounds, to bring unification to us all.”

“Reunited in Dance” sold out quickly. Expanding on the idea of unifying people, organizers created a free opportunity to see the performance outside the venue Saturday (see the accompanying information box).

‘A KNIFE IN THE BACK’

As death and destruction inside Ukraine grinds away, tendrils of the conflict quietly stretch in unexpected ways and in many directions, including as far as 6,000 miles to Costa Mesa.

To his surprise, Jivoy recently received an artistic blow he didn’t anticipate.

The 33-year-old was born in St. Petersburg and trained at the city’s prestigious Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, founded in 1738. Jivoy was hired by the fabled Mariinsky Ballet, located literally a block away. He appeared in the company’s production of “Swan Lake” at Segerstrom Hall in 2012.

In addition to dancing, Jivoy has created both story-length ballets and smaller pieces. His choreographic promise even won him an award, “The Hope of Russia.”

“This theater, this city, this, these people … it was all my home,” said Jivoy in an interview this week.

But everything changed when the “aggression,” as Jivoy quietly describes Russia’s actions. He and his wife, who is half-Ukrainian, with family in an area of Ukraine near the war front, immediately departed.

As he describes in the “Reunited in Dance” program: “We had to leave everything, our families, our jobs, our apartment, friends, we simply packed up anything we could take and left.”

Early on in the conflict, Jivoy also spoke out publicly.

“I did a few statements against the aggression and the pressure on my colleagues in the arts,” he said.

Recently, his wife was looking at the Mariinsky’s web site. Displayed among the 50-plus ballets, including “Swan Lake,” in the company’s active repertoire is Jivoy’s full-length work “The Four Seasons.”

She texted her husband the link.

“I’m erased!” Livoy said. “As choreographer my name is gone away.

“It shows the costume designer, the lighting designer. But who created the dance? Now, nobody!”

Asked how being culturally canceled feels, he paused.

“A knife in the back.”

“Of course, I’m not the most famous choreographer. But it is copyrighted … how dare they do that? I sent an official request to the company, but silence. No statement, nothing,”

Here Jivoy will dance a solo from his recently choreographed piece, “BA//CH Solo.” Set to music by Bach, the ballet was warmly received at a festival in Switzerland.

He is finding satisfaction in the opportunity. But thoughts of larger concerns remain.

Asked if he thinks of a return to St. Petersburg someday, and how it would feel, he is again subdued.

“It’s a good question. I love my Russia, want to see my family, the city, it’s there, a part of me,” Livoy said. “But as long as this — the war — goes on, my wife and me, we are totally a freelance couple.

“And maybe the wound from that knife will never completely, totally heal, I can’t know. I’m not that sure I will want to come back.”

THE QUEST FOR BRILLIANCE

Elizabeth Segerstrom, center, poses with the cast of “Reunited in Dance,” a performance featuring dancers from Russia, Ukraine and other countries. (Photo by Marty Robertson)

Russian powerhouse companies like the Mariinsky and the Mikhailovsky in St. Petersburg, and the Bolshoi in Moscow, all have former company dancers in Saturday night’s program. These three companies currently perform like nothing is going on, ballet as business as usual almost nightly.

But, first with the COVID-19 shut down and now the war, none of these hallowed organizations has been seen locally, or anywhere else, for some time.

Even if travel is possible, the current appetite of presenters and audiences for having these perhaps now tarnished troupes in Europe and the United States feels at an all-time low.

As a result, in their absence, having this event in Orange County has even greater artistic significance for underwriter Elizabeth Segerstrom.

“‘Reunited in Dance’ is an opportunity to both honor and continue the great legacy of international ballet at Segerstrom Center,” said Segerstrom.

It echoes a challenge posed by her late husband Henry Segerstrom in 1986, who, in a letter to the public tied to the dedication of the then-new performing arts center, cautioned that performances needed to be a focal point.

Henry Segerstrom wrote: “In its use let us all aspire to play our roles so that 100 years from now those who follow after will judge us not by the grandeur of this structure, but rather by the brilliant performances within its walls.”

Asked this week if she felt this event might meet her late husband’s criteria for brilliance, Elizabeth Segerstrom responded simply: “I do.”

She expanded, asserting that “Segerstrom Center was created to engage and inspire people with great performances. ‘Reunited in Dance’ is fulfilling Henry’s dream of creating a world-class arts center on many levels.”

‘Reunited in Dance Simulcast’

What: A live outdoor projection of a ballet program featuring 18 international dancers inside the adjacent Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12

Where: On the Argyros Plaza at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

Logistics: Attendees can set up as early as 5:30 p.m. on the plaza for best views of the projection on the outside of Segerstrom Hall. Blankets, fold-up chairs, and food are allowed on the plaza. No canopied tenting or grills. Food will be available for sale; public restrooms accessible from the plaza will be open.

Admission: Free. The performance in the adjacent venue is sold out

Parking: $15 in nearby parking structures

Information: 949-556-2787; www.scfta.org