Russian ballet show cancelled in South Korea one day before premiere

A ballet show featuring leading dancers from Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre (Grand Theatre) was cancelled a day before its premiere in South Korea. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has clarified that the consecutive cancellation of Russian performances was achieved through the efforts of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Korea, with the support of the Ukrainian community.

Source: Reuters, citing a show’s organiser on Monday, 15 April

Details: This follows the cancellation of ballet performances in Seoul in March featuring the Russian prima ballerina of Ukrainian descent, Svetlana Zakharova, who is an active supporter of Vladimir Putin. 

At that time, it was reported that the show, titled Modanse, in which Zakharova performed the lead role, depicted scenes from the life of French designer Coco Chanel. The performances were scheduled for 17-21 April at the Seoul Arts Center.

After the cancellation of the show with Zakharova, another Russian touring show remained: the Bolshoi Theatre Gala Concert, which was scheduled for 16-18 April and was supposed to take place at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. 

Initially, these performances featured 12 principal dancers from the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia. However, the programme was later modified to reduce the number of Russian performers. And on the eve of the show, it was announced that the concert was cancelled altogether. 

The Russian Embassy in South Korea reacted to the concerts' cancellation by saying, "We cannot fail to notice that South Korea is currently demonstrating a certain trend in its approach to cooperation with Russia, particularly in the cultural sphere."

In turn, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that this was made possible through the efforts of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Korea, with the support of the Ukrainian community and international partners. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred to the cancellation of Russian shows in Seoul as another step towards Russia's international isolation in the cultural sphere. "There should be no place for Russian cultural propaganda on international platforms, and Russian ballerinas should not perform on the stages of world theatres," the ministry added.

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