Star ballerina Olga Smirnova has left Moscow's renowned Bolshoi Ballet, after speaking out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"We cannot remain indifferent to this global catastrophe," Smirnova wrote on the Telegram messaging platform last week, adding, "I never thought I would be ashamed of Russia."
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In addition to Smirnova, Brandsen said the Dutch National Ballet has also hired the Brazilian dancer Victor Caixeta, who left the Mariinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg in protest of the invasion, and three Ukrainian ballerinas. The company is quickly trying to raise money to bring on more dancers from Ukraine, he said, adding, "Everyone in the whole ballet world is trying to do what they can."
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