Dancing Times Magazine April 2022 Vorige editie

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 has left the world in shock, and, like many of our readers, I have been appalled to watch scenes on the television news of innocent people in Ukraine taking shelter from Russian bombardments in the basements of their own homes or attempting to flee the country for their lives. Many people have been affected by this horrific situation, including members of my own family who live and work in Kyiv, the capital city, and Russia has rightly received strong condemnation, as well as economic sanctions, from around the world. Condemnation has also come from many of those employed within the dance industry, who have added their voices to the outrage felt about the situation, especially those dancers, teachers, choreographers and directors who are either Ukrainian by birth or are Russian with strong links to the country.
In light of this terrible situation, and with an extremely heavy heart, I have made the difficult decision from next month onwards to cease publishing for the forseeable future Igor Stupnikov’s popular Letter from St Petersburg – on page 55 you can find his most recent letter, written by him and received by us long before the invasion took place. Any performances taking place in Russia and listed in our Calendar pages have also been removed. To find out more about how dance has been reacting to the war in Ukraine, see News.