In a nation where many consider ballet the national art form, Olga Smirnova leaving the legendary Bolshoi Ballet because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine will send ripples through the arts ranks, CNN reports. Smirnova joined the Dutch National Ballet as their prima ballerina.
“I never thought I would be ashamed of Russia,” Smirnova wrote in the statement, which was later republished by the Dutch National Ballet. “I have always been proud of talented Russian people, of our cultural and athletic achievements. But now I feel that a line has been drawn that separates the before and the after.”
The 31-year-old Smirnova joined the Bolshoi more than a decade ago as a solo performer and quickly rose to taking lead roles in performances of “Swan Lake” and “Giselle.”
Ballet is intimately intertwined with Russia culture. When the Soviet Union was literally collapsing, Soviet state television replaced programming with a repeated loop of “Swan Lake” as the Soviet parliament was dissolving.
Smirnova is the first native-born Russian to leave the company following the Russian invasion, but she is not the first dancer to leave: Brazilian soloist David Motta Soares and Italian principal dancer Jacopo Tissi both announced they were leaving the Bolshoi.