School graduates dance sombre waltz on ruins of House of Arts in Kharkiv Oblast
School graduates have danced the sombre waltz amidst a cultural centre destroyed by the fighting in the town of Derhachi, Kharkiv Oblast. [The graduating class in Ukrainian schools traditionally dances the waltz in front of the entire school as students hear the bell being rung for the "last" time – ed.]
Source: Hlib Astakhov, author of the video, public figure, and student
Details: The video captures the graduates dancing in front of the ruins. Teenagers hold a cut-out map of Ukraine and cardboard cutouts with the number 2023 in the background.
Quote: "The life of graduates of the Kharkiv region. Graduation against the backdrop of the ruins the Russians brought to our home. It's already history. Our strength today is unity. In such circumstances, everyone understands that Ukraine begins with each of us. The future of Ukraine depends on the youth," the video’s author wrote.
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Details: The House of Arts in Derhachi was destroyed on 13 May 2022. A humanitarian headquarters was based in the same building.
Background: The trend of dancing a graduation sombre waltz on the ruins emerged in 2022. Last year, for example, 11th-grade alumni of School 134 in Kharkiv danced near the ruins of their school.
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