Ukrainian ballet dancers Nelia Ivanova and Svitlana Shlikhter were deeply moved when the audience gave a standing ovation during their Japan-based troupe’s performance in Latvia, ahead of the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Throughout the performance, the troupe called for an end to the war in Ukraine and expressed gratitude to those back home on Japan’s Awaji Island, near Osaka, who have been supporting the group’s activities.
The 16-member troupe is unique in that it includes Ivanova, Shlikhter and 10 other Ukrainian dancers and instructors evacuated to the island. The four others are Japanese dancers.
“Every year, you think it [the war] is going to finish but it’s not finished yet,” Ivanova said in Awaji city after returning from Latvia’s capital, Riga. “I hope it’s going to finish so soon.”
Led by Emi Hariyama, an award-winning Japanese ballet dancer and former member of the Berlin State Ballet, the troupe performed a show on December 9 featuring Tsuru no Ongaeshi, or “The Grateful Crane”, a well-known Japanese folk tale, at the Latvian National Opera House.