THE celebrated Kyiv City Ballet will take part in a special performance in Southampton next month - and businesses are being asked to gift tickets to Ukrainian families.
In February last year, the company left Ukraine’s capital for a much-anticipated tour of France.
Just a day later Russia invaded, leaving them stranded and unable to return home.
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Over a year on, the war still rages and these exceptional dancers remain in exile.
But, with extraordinary resilience, the company has gone from strength to strength, training daily, devising new programmes, reprising classic works and thrilling those able to see them.
Mayflower Theatre is set to welcome this incredible group of artists on Thursday April 20 for a gala performance on their first-ever tour of the UK.
A varied programme of excerpts from some of their favourite pieces, this promises to be a unique occasion and a chance to show your support for the people of Ukraine.
Michael Ockwell, Chief Executive, Mayflower Theatre & MAST Mayflower Studios said: "When we had the opportunity to present the Kyiv City Ballet here in Southampton, we jumped at the chance to bring this internationally renowned company to our stage. Without a chance to perform in their home country, this company need all the support they can get to keep going until they can perform again in Ukraine. Dance is a very accessible form of theatre as audiences can engage without language barriers.
"We are currently reaching out to local Ukrainian organisations to offer tickets for refugee families to attend the performance, and as part of this I would like to ask local businesses if they would be able to gift a seat. Mayflower Theatre will also be donating any surpluses we make to Ukrainian charities from the event.
"To be very clear, the ticket sales are there to support Kyiv City Ballet. This is a fantastic opportunity for the local community to galvanise around one event to show their support for a great cause."
If you or your business would like to gift a seat, visit mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/kyiv-city-ballet-2023/
Tickets from mayflower.org.uk
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