Olga Smirnova, one of the stars of Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet, quit the company over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The announcement comes after the ballerina denounced the invasion and said that 'a line has been drawn.' Smirnova will instead dance at the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam.
Smirnova joined the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet in 2011 and has taken leading roles in performances of 'Swan Lake' and 'Giselle'. She has also toured internationally with the group and has been a guest performer for the American Ballet Theatre and the Vienna State Ballet.
"It hurts that people are dying, that people are losing the roofs over their heads or are forced to abandon their homes. And who would have thought a few weeks ago that all of this would happen? We may not be at the epicentre of the military conflict, but we cannot remain indifferent to this global catastrophe," Smirnova wrote in a statement published by the Dutch National Ballet.
Two other members of Bolshoi Ballet-- Brazilian soloist David Motta Soares and Italian principal dancer Jacopo Tissi – announced their resignation last week over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
