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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
Entertainment
Asharq Al-Awsat

Ballerina, War Critic Smirnova Quits Bolshoi to Join Dutch National Ballet

Dancers Olga Smirnova (R) in the role of Tatyana and Vladislav Lantratov in the role of Onegin perform during a media preview of the ballet "Onegin" at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, July 10, 2013. (Reuters)

Russian prima ballerina Olga Smirnova, a critic of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has quit the Bolshoi and will join the Dutch National Ballet, the Dutch organization said on Wednesday.

"It is a privilege to have her dance with our company in the Netherlands - even if the circumstances that drove this move are incredibly sad," said Dutch National Ballet Director Ted Brandsen in a statement.

Smirnova, 30, left Russia in March. In a statement on her Telegram account republished by the Dutch dance troupe she said she was "against war with all the fibers of my soul."

"I never thought I would be ashamed of Russia, I have always been proud of talented Russian people, of our cultural and athletic achievements," she wrote. "But now I feel that a line has been drawn."

Smirnova is now physically in the Netherlands, a spokesperson for the ballet confirmed.

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