Promoting Russian Culture? Dnipro Opera and Ballet Theatre Caught in a Scandal.

From November 2024 to May 2025, the ballet troupe of the Dnipro Opera and Ballet Theatre will tour the USA and Canada under the name State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine. However, their performances will be held to the music of Russian composer Ilya Tchaikovsky. This is reported by journalist Daria Girna.

The journalist points out that the organizers of these tours are the company Classical Arts Entertainment, founded by Russian emigrants Ekaterina Vaganova, Artem Yachmennikov, and Moldovan People's Artist Andrey Litvinov. The latter has been the chief choreographer of the Dnipro Opera and Ballet Theatre since September 2019.

The ballet troupe will perform shows to the music of Russian composer Tchaikovsky: "The Nutcracker", "Sleeping Beauty", "Swan Lake". But the program will also include "Cinderella". A total of 149 performances are planned.

Users are outraged by this news, as the Dnipro Opera and Ballet Theatre will be promoting Russian culture abroad instead of Ukrainian.

Some social media users question whether the men from the ballet troupe left the country with the proper permits.

Recall that in June, a ballet featuring a Russian dancer from the Bolshoi Theatre of Ukrainian descent, Svetlana Zakharova, was canceled in Slovenia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that this happened thanks to the comprehensive work of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Slovenia with representatives of Slovenian state institutions.