Ballet performance "Krcko Orašić" in the National Theater on Wednesday ended like never before: the whole ensemble came out in front of the audience with raised bloody palms, as a sign of support for students. A few moments before them, the Orchestra greeted the audience by raising their red gloved hands.
The applause in the auditorium was indescribable.
"We didn't prepare anything in advance, it happened impulsively," Ivana Savić Jaćić, soloist of the National Theater Ballet and president of the Union of Ballet Artists, told the "Vremena" portal.
"The idea of reacting to all that is happening came the other day, from our young colleagues. They are students, and it is natural that they are in all this. As a trade union, we reacted with a statement ten days ago, and supported the students who are blocking the faculties, but the young colleagues wanted to show that support with some kind of gesture," says Ivana Savić Jaćić.
She is glad, she says, "that the young people reacted that way, they are part-time workers at the Ballet, and it is not easy for them. And yet, they have the strength to publicly express their position."
It is said that they did not have any paint with which to smear their palms. "We picked up our red lipsticks and painted our palms with the lipsticks." I only asked that we do not get the costumes dirty, that was all. We agreed that it should be at the end of the presentation to the audience, we didn't want to mix the applause, which is intended for the performance and only the ballet, with red palms. All the agreements that I mention to you happened during the actual performance of the play".
Ivana Savić Jaćić says that they did not know "that the orchestra would also do it at that performance. We knew they were going to, but not when. We did not agree, everything happened completely spontaneously and impulsively. It was a kind of recognition of the moment for the sake of all the victims and for the sake of the students - that's what happened."
The management of the Ballet did not blame them for this action, and Ivana Savić Jaćić expects it to remain so. "I thought that, as the President of the Union, someone from the Ballet Administration would call me for an interview after the performance, but - they didn't." As far as I know, Ana Pavlović, our artistic director, and Smiljana Stokić, the executive director, understand all this, and I don't think anyone will punish us."
Ivana Savić Jaćić says how and whether the management of the National Theater will react - "we will find out".
