Pro-Ukraine demonstrators denounce Joffrey Ballet’s ‘Anna Karenina’

A few dozen pro-Ukrainian demonstrators gathered Wednesday night outside the Civic Opera House to denounce the Joffrey Ballet’s staging of a ballet based on a Russian novel amid Russia’s deadly invasion of Ukraine.

“I’m from Ukraine; I’m offended by the lack of sensitivity,” said Lise Korneichuk, 26, a student at the School of the Art Institute. “The theater should show solidarity instead of promoting Russian culture.”

The Joffrey Ballet has stood firm in its decision to showcase choreographer Yuri Possokhov’s “Anna Karenina,” based on the Leo Tolstoy novel, saying the effort to put on the show took years.

“The Joffrey Ballet stands with Ukraine, and we hold Ukrainians in our hearts while applauding their courage,” the Joffrey Ballet said in a statement. “We hope their pain and oppression ends in peace.”

The statement went on to say that the ballet company has always worked with artists from around the world to tell stories that “explore human emotion.” Possokhov was born in Lugansk (Ukraine), trained at the Moscow Ballet School and danced for 10 years with Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet.

“Artistic adaptations of historical pieces of literature about our humanity have the transformative power to create a space for meaning, reflection and healing while allowing us to connect to our past, present, and future,” the Joffrey said.

The protest remained peaceful, but there were some heated exchanges between ballet attendees and demonstrators.

The Joffrey dedicated the performance to Ukraine, and the orchestra played a Ukrainian piece beforehand to the full house.

Contributing: Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere

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