Xander Parish, a well-known British ballet dancer, has left the renowned Russian Mariinsky Ballet as a result of the country’s war with Ukraine.
British Ballet Dancer Xander Parish Leaves The Russian Mariinsky Ballet Following The Country’s War With Ukraine-‘My Heart Goes Out To The People Of Ukraine’
The war has led to an increasing number of organisations cutting ties with Russia on an economic and cultural basis. And now it seems that Xander has decided to follow a similar line of reasoning, knowing that it is impossible to stand by and watch Russian aggression against a sovereign country.
Therefore, it was the only reasonable thing to do as he would not be able to give a performance that would be fitting. In a post to his fans on Instagram, he shared a picture from his performance as he was hugging his fellow ballet dancer.
The post was captioned by the following comments: “I have taken the difficult decision to leave Russia, at least until peace comes. My heart goes out to the people of Ukraine, near and far.”
The dancer was clearly in a difficult position. Had he decided to continue with his dancing aspirations, Xander could have faced a significant amount of backlash knowing that his actions may have inadvertently been interpreted as endorsing the Russian regime.
As a result, he wanted to clear up his position and let the organisation know that he had nothing against them. After all, they had played an integral part in launching his career.
He added: “I am so grateful to the Mariinsky Theatre who, thanks to Yuri Fateev, took me in 12 years ago and gave me a career in classical ballet I could only have dreamed about.
“I am grateful to the wonderful ordinary Russian people.” The response on social media was full of praise. A large proportion of people commended Xander for the courage he had taken, especially since his career has been impacted.
One person wrote: “Xander Parish leaving the Marinsky is such a huge deal ! good for him, I am proud !!” Xander’s actions could lead to others doing the same.
And if it does create a situation where there are huge numbers of people following suit, then the consequences could be severe. Time will tell. So there you have it folks. Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
