From a Ukrainian basement to the European Sauna Theatre Championship: the journey of a choreographer from Chernihiv
Photo: FB Alyona Rumiantseva
She dances where others suffocate from heat. Choreographer Alyona Rumiantseva from Chernihiv fled the war to Poland, overcame the language barrier and a personal crisis, and is now preparing for another European Sauna Theatre Championship – a cultural format where theatrical and musical performances are staged for those who visit the steam room.
At the same time, Alyona has built a children’s studio, Dance Family, from scratch, which is already winning prizes at Polish competitions.
Alyona shared her incredible new passion, adaptation in a new country, victories abroad, self-discovery in emigration, and the transition from personal crisis to new creative achievements with Korotko Pro.
“I considered myself strong, but my daughters came first”
The full-scale war began for Alyona, as for many in Ukraine, with shelling. Her native Chernihiv came under targeted fire, and the city was besieged – the access roads were destroyed. Alyona spent ten days in a basement with her two daughters.
Alyona Rumiantseva moved to Poland in the early days of the war. Photo: provided by Alyona Rumiantseva
– I considered myself a strong, iron woman, but my two daughters and their safety became my top priority. So, I decided to go to Poland. My ex-husband lives in Poznań; he immediately offered help with an apartment and financial support – that’s why we came here.
Before the war, Alyona Rumiantseva worked as a choreographer in Chernihiv. She had a professional dance troupe with 150 students. In her new location, everything had to be started from scratch.
– Integration and adaptation were very difficult for me. Not so for my girls. They adapted quickly and overcame the language barrier rapidly. It was harder for me. Initially, I attended various free language courses, but then I realized that it wasn’t enough to achieve what I aimed for and regain the standard of living and work I had at home. So, I enrolled in paid ones.
Regarding work, it appeared soon enough. Alyona says the job rather found her.
– My ex-husband works at a sauna in an aquapark, which also has a sauna complex. Once, the director was asking about my daughters and me – my ex-husband mentioned that I am a choreographer. The director replied, “Oh, we need a choreographer.” The thing is, the art of saunieren requires dancing skills. I was invited for an interview, and within a month, I was officially working as a choreographer.
Alyona shares that she suddenly experienced some “chemistry,” and she simply fell in love with this new direction for her.
– Here, I could combine my two passions – dancing and saunas. In Ukraine, my friends and I went to the sauna every week for spiritual and physical cleansing, steamed, did masks, spa treatments, and talked… And now, choreography could be added.
– What are the performances in saunas called, in which you started participating?
– Aufguss Theater – and it’s very popular in Europe. Two years ago, I won the Polish championship with my partner Jacek Ciecielski. We represented Poland on the world stage. It sounds grand when it seems we are just waving towels. But for me, it’s a form of art that is highly valued in Europe.
Aufguss Theater has many fans; it’s an entire culture. For me, for example, it was surprising to see how many people are fans of this event. Huge mass shows in one sauna for 300 people – simply fantastic.
Besides Aufguss Theater, there’s a more spiritual and relaxing direction: herbal sauna. There, we conduct rituals with veniks, various incenses, essential oils, infusions, and body scrubs. Competitions are also held here. Perhaps in the future, I will try myself in this area, but for now, we are developing in Aufguss, creating 15-minute shows.
– Your task is to tell a story in the sauna, and costumes, props, makeup, lighting, music, aromas, and choreography are important here… Essentially, a whole theatre within the bathhouse. Is there anything like this in Ukraine?
– No, at least I’ve never seen anything like it. When I first attended a session at “Termy Maltańskie,” where I work now, I immediately realized: I no longer want to just sit and steam. I need aromatherapy, music, for the scents to spread throughout the sauna.
– It must be very difficult, a serious physical exertion – to dance at temperatures near 100 degrees Celsius. One needs to have good health just to endure it, let alone make active movements.
– That’s true. You need to be very physically resilient. And that’s another motivation to take care of your health.
Two years ago, we staged a story inspired by the movie “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” This year, my partner Hubert and I created “Dune” – and we hit the mark perfectly. This movie is very popular right now, and everyone is anticipating the release of the third part at the end of the year. As it turned out, the film has many fans, so our session received such high praise.
In two weeks, we are going to the Polish championship, and we recently qualified for SaunaCup 2026, where we took first place.
Dancing at temperatures near 100 degrees Celsius is a strenuous physical activity. Photo: provided by Alyona Rumiantseva
Theatre at 100 degrees, saffron, gold dust, and love
– The “Dune” performance is indeed interesting – both the film and the book series are very popular. How did you manage to bring space into the sauna?
– We depicted an alien world, a desert. I was the main protagonist protecting my planet from those who steal spice – the spice that gives life to this planet. My partner Hubert suddenly appears. Initially, I perceive him as an enemy – and we fight. Then he proves he is the chosen one and has come to protect our planet. The second part of the performance is reconciliation and falling in love. The third is a battle with enemies who want to destroy our planet, but we win.
The message of the production: we spend our lives on dust, spices (we use gold dust during the session). But in the end, it turns out that the most important thing is love. And we conclude our session with the words: Love, friends, and peace.
– I’m curious, what was the audience’s reaction to your performance?
– Even people who hadn’t seen the film understood the plot. Many approached us with tears, hugged us, and said that we had captured the essence, the very core.
It’s about how we sometimes waste our lives on such nonsense… And we don’t appreciate the most important things, taking them for granted. Essentially, what we do is a whole theatre in the sauna, where physical purification and renewal happen simultaneously, and people receive aesthetic pleasure.
Alyona Rumiantseva and her partner Hubert took first place with their ‘Dune’-inspired performance at SaunaCup 2026. Photo: provided by Alyona Rumiantseva
– And who actually came up with the plot? Is it teamwork?
– I wrote the script. I watched the first and second parts of the film and adapted the plot for our session. The choreography is also mine. Hubert was responsible for selecting the music, lighting, and dialogues. He took on more of the technical aspects, while I handled the creative ones.
– Does Hubert also have a choreography background?
– No, he is a sauna master and a masseur, but a very creative person. And he has a very striking appearance, which also helps in embodying the character. By the way, he specifically grew out his hair for our performance.
– What else happens during these sessions, besides people steaming in the sauna and watching a performance?
– Aromatherapy. We gradually increase the temperature, toxins are released through sweat, and the body is purified. Simultaneously, people inhale aromas… By the way, for our session, we used saffron – the most expensive spice in the world. Our company spared no expense and ordered this aroma for us.
We also used cardamom and neroli – oriental scents that evoke thoughts of the desert. They helped create the atmosphere and transport us to that desert world.
Our own! Winners of the Polish SaunaCup 2026: First place – Alyona Rumiantseva from Chernihiv. Third place – Polina Modina from Sloviansk. Photo: Sauny Świętokrzyskie Binkowski Resort
“We are not just here to dance”
– But you don’t just create sauna performances. You also founded a dance group for children.
– Yes, I continue to teach. I gathered children from Ukraine, named the studio Dance Family – we dance, practice, and even win prizes at Polish competitions.
I have been working with children since I was eighteen. When I arrived here, I was disoriented: unclear what to do, how to live further? Go to a factory? What about my talent, everything I lived for? But somehow, everything resolved itself.
I found out how to organize everything legally. I posted an announcement in Poznań groups: “This is me, come.” A practice hall was found, and people came. Within a week, I had enrolled two groups of Ukrainian children – junior and middle. And for four years now, we have been dancing, developing, and participating in competitions. Our group is growing. Now we have three groups: junior, middle, and senior.
We participated in a competition in March: out of five routines, we received five first places. And now we are heading to the Greater Poland Dance Tournament, where last year we won first places and the Grand Prix. And this year, at the end of the month, we are going again for new victories.
In Poznań, Alyona continued to teach Ukrainian children to dance and win first places in Polish competitions. Photo: provided by Alyona Rumiantseva
– Have you encountered any difficulties because you, as a Ukrainian, are winning and taking first places in Poland? Has there been any hate?
– No, I haven’t felt that. And at work, I have a wonderful team – young, objective, adequate. Someone might think something, but they never say it out loud. I don’t feel any aggression.
Sometimes envy surfaced; they would say, “Oh, you’re developing so fast.” But eventually, everything was smoothed over. The management acted very wisely; we discussed everything – we went through this difficult period of adjustment together.
– It’s logical that you developed quickly, as you have a foundation. As far as I understand, you’ve been dancing since childhood?
– Yes, since I was six. I graduated from the pedagogical university as a physical education and choreography teacher. But I never worked as a physical education teacher. Immediately after university, I created my own group and taught children to dance.
And in Poland, I really didn’t start from scratch; only a new profession – sauna master. Everything else was based on my past experience.
Currently, Dance Family has three groups of children – senior, middle, and junior. Photo: provided by Alyona Rumiantseva
World Championship is planned
– You mentioned you will be competing in the Polish Sauna Theatre Championship. And later, the World Championship?
– From June 4th to 6th, the Polish Championship for Sauna Masters in the Aufguss Theater category will take place. As I mentioned, it will be held in Czeladź, at the “Roman Baths” sauna. It’s the largest sauna in Europe, accommodating 300 people. Possibly in the world, if the Japanese haven’t broken this record.
And then, based on the selection results, it will be known whether we will represent Poland on the world stage.
We sincerely hope so, we are preparing, refining our session, making it even better. We are going with the same number and hope to represent Poland in Germany.
– And after the war, would you prefer to stay in Poland or return home?
– This question tears my soul apart. We often talk with the children: our hearts are still there, though our bodies are here. I would like to return. Moreover, I plan to bring the experience I gained in Poland back to Ukraine.
If there are investments, I dream of building a sauna in Chernihiv so that a similar sauna culture can take root there too. And in a year, two, three, ten years, we too will represent Ukraine, just as I represent Poland today. But that’s a dream.
– What advice would you give to Ukrainian emigrants who are finding it difficult to find their place in a new country?
– It’s important not to “bury” yourself: our fears only hinder us. We can be useful to society and ourselves, showing by our example that Ukrainians are not just about factories and plants, hard, low-paid labor. Find yourselves, believe in yourselves.
And, of course, you need to learn the language; it’s crucial. Sometimes, you have to take paid courses. I have many girls with diplomas, including medical and creative ones, but they lack the self-discipline: to just pull themselves together and go… I always tell my students: we are not just here to dance. We are learning to work in a team, overcome obstacles, laziness, “I don’t want to,” “it hurts,” and so on.
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Джерело: kp.ua