Ukraine war: pro-Putin Russian ballerina Svetlana Zakharova’s Seoul show cancelled amid backlash

Questions were raised regarding the appropriateness of allowing shows by individuals supportive of Putin, particularly amid the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kyiv.

Originally scheduled for April 17 to 21 at the Seoul Arts Centre, the performance, titled “Modanse,” intended to showcase Zakharova portraying the life of Coco Chanel. The centre, affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced the cancellation on Friday.

Since early this year, Zakharova’s involvement has sparked controversy, and the embassy of Ukraine in South Korea expressed condemnation on Monday, citing Zakharova and current Bolshoi Theatre director Valery Gergiev for having “actively and vocally condoned the criminal actions of the Russian regime in Ukraine.”

The embassy said Russia is leveraging cultural events to justify war and genocide as a form of cultural weaponisation and called for international partners to suspend cultural cooperation with the Russian regime and its representatives, noting previous cancellations and boycotts of Bolshoi performances in various countries.

On March 25, the Russian embassy responded, stating that planned tours of Russian artists are arranged through direct agreements between private parties and will contribute to enriching the cultural landscape of South Korea. It added that any attempts to cancel these performances would be misguided.

Amid the diplomatic feud, the organiser of “Modanse” in Seoul, InArts Production, said it agreed with the centre to cancel the show.

Meanwhile, the “Bolshoi Ballet Gala Concert,” another show featuring dancers from the Russian state ballet company, will proceed as planned at the Sejong Centre for the Performing Arts from April 16 to 18.

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