"A Shameful Day for the Homeland"... Russia's Leading Ballerina Transfers to the Netherlands

Russian ballerina Olga Smirnova.
Photo by EPA Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Olga Smirnova (30), regarded as Russia's top ballerina, left the Bolshoi Ballet and joined the Dutch National Ballet after criticizing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

On the 17th (local time), the US CNN reported that the Dutch National Ballet announced Smirnova's joining in a statement released the previous day. Accordingly, Smirnova will make her debut on the Dutch stage with the classical ballet "Raymonda," scheduled to premiere in early April.

Since joining in 2011, Smirnova has been a leading figure of the Bolshoi Ballet and won the Best Female Dancer award at the 2013 Benois de la Danse. She toured internationally with the Bolshoi Ballet and appeared as a guest performer with the American Ballet Theatre and the Vienna State Ballet.

She confessed, "I never imagined a day would come when I would be ashamed of my homeland," adding, "I was proud of talented Russians in culture and sports, but it feels like a line has been drawn dividing before and after the invasion." She continued, "It is painful that people are dying and forced to abandon their homes."

Smirnova, whose grandfather is Ukrainian, also expressed her opposition to the war wholeheartedly via Telegram last week.

Russian dance critic Leila Gukhmazova lamented the situation as a "bombshell in the ballet world." The departure of a major star with significant influence like Smirnova for freedom of expression could set a precedent for other dancers.

Previously, Brazilian soloist David Mota Soares and Italian principal dancer Jacopo Tissi also left the Bolshoi Ballet in protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Tissi wrote on his Instagram, "Russia's decision made it impossible for me to continue my career in Moscow. No war can be justified."

Meanwhile, the Bolshoi Ballet was founded in 1780 as the Petrovsky Theatre Ballet and changed its name when the newly built Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow took over the company in 1825.

Emerging prominently in Europe around the 19th century, the Bolshoi Ballet took the lead in the world of ballet by performing works such as Pyotr Chaikovskii's "Swan Lake" and "The Sleeping Beauty." It produced renowned dancers like Olga Lepeshinskaya and Galina Ulanova.

In Korea, the Bolshoi Ballet first performed "Swan Lake" at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in September 1988 and has since toured the country multiple times.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.