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Ukraine war: pro-Putin Russian ballerina Svetlana Zakharova’s Seoul show cancelled amid backlash

  • Ukraine’s embassy in South Korea said Moscow was leveraging cultural events to justify war and genocide as a form of cultural weaponisation
  • The performance intended to showcase Zakharova portraying the life of Coco Chanel

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A show in Seoul featuring dancer Svetlana Zakharova was cancelled amid controversy over her support of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: Handout
The Korea Times
A scheduled ballet performance in South Korea featuring Svetlana Zakharova, the Ukrainian-born Russian principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet, renowned for her support of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been cancelled amid controversy.
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Questions were raised regarding the appropriateness of allowing shows by individuals supportive of Putin, particularly amid the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kyiv.

Originally scheduled for April 17 to 21 at the Seoul Arts Centre, the performance, titled “Modanse,” intended to showcase Zakharova portraying the life of Coco Chanel. The centre, affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced the cancellation on Friday.

Since early this year, Zakharova’s involvement has sparked controversy, and the embassy of Ukraine in South Korea expressed condemnation on Monday, citing Zakharova and current Bolshoi Theatre director Valery Gergiev for having “actively and vocally condoned the criminal actions of the Russian regime in Ukraine.”

The embassy said Russia is leveraging cultural events to justify war and genocide as a form of cultural weaponisation and called for international partners to suspend cultural cooperation with the Russian regime and its representatives, noting previous cancellations and boycotts of Bolshoi performances in various countries.

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