Somehow in some way, the cultural arts have been able to survive in war-torn countries. Ukraine is being bombarded by Russian bombs daily. Yet, the Taras Shevchenko National Opera House in Kyiv, has remained opened. The National Ballet of Ukraine, one of the world’s premier ballet companies, has been able to perform. Albeit, in front of a smaller audience. The ballet company is making it’s first trip to the U.S. this fall, with a stop at the Miller Theater in Philadelphia on Oct. 9. Tickets are available at nationalukraineballet.com. “They’re no longer able to perform to full houses because the law and policy has basically required that only as many people are admitted into the Opera House to view a show as can be quickly shuttled down into the basement as a bomb shelter against Russian airstrikes,” said says Jeremy Courtney, founder and CEO of HUMANITE Peace Collective. “The truth is, Russia has bombed numerous cultural and art institutions, has burned libraries, has attacked countless schools and prevented those kids from learning about their own culture and their own history. “So, in some of the city’s more eastward cultural institutions, arts, theater, opera, music, dance is under attack. It has been displaced from its home in the opera houses in the theaters and, to the degree that it survives, it kind of survives underground, or it survives in suboptimal venues where people are just trying to keep the flame alive.” Despite the ongoing war with Russia, the National Ballet of Ukraine has been able to continue performances. (Courtesy of Oleksandra Zlunitsyna) The HUMANITE Peace Collective is a global peace collective working to reduce the inequalities and exclusions in fragile states that lead to violence. Founded by refugees and war survivors, HUMANITE takes a unique, survivor-led approach to local peace, prioritizing full-cycle support for the communities it serves, before, during and after war. One of the ways the organization is trying to keep the very real suffering of Ukraine in the public consciousness is by taking the ballet on tour. “Most just hear about the constant discussion of Russia bombed this place today and this many people died and this apartment building collapsed,” said Courtney. “We wanted to try and present a new way forward. Once the American people are tired of hearing about all the destruction that we could talk about the beauty. We could talk about the people. We could talk about the culture. We could talk about what was at stake if this thing continued to be prosecuted the way it was.” Of course, bringing a group from Ukraine isn’t as easy as booking a few plane tickets on Travelocity. “Well, the logistics are significant,” Courtney said. “You lay out your plans and then, at the end of the day, you’re still somewhat beholden or dependent on how things play out with airstrikes in Kyiv, with Russia’s next move, with whether the train lines stay open so that the entire company can get on the nearly 20-hour train ride out of Ukraine and into Poland or Vienna. “This is the first nationwide tour of the United States since Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. While the company and individual dancers have come and done one-off shows here and there, this will be the first time they’ve done a major North American tour and nationwide American tour in their entire independent history of the country. “So, even just the length and the rigor of the schedule that we’re, we’re trying to keep up so that they can reach the most people possible is going to be a challenge.” The tour kicks off at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington on Oct. 8. There are performances just about every day in different cities through Oct. 31 in Orlando, Fla. “The National Ballet of Ukraine is indisputably one of the world’s foremost ballet companies,” said Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, appointed in 2021. “That said, this tour represents much more than a typical dance performance; it is a symbol of the resilience and bravery of the embattled Ukrainian people, and an opportunity for Ukraine to celebrate its rich and remarkable cultural legacy. The dancers are not just showcasing Ukrainian culture, they are preserving it. Even more importantly, this tour will raise urgently needed funds to help the embattled citizens of my home country as they bravely continue to combat against the harrowing onslaught of the Russian military.” Courtney moved to Iraq 15 years ago to help civilians survive years of war with medical and humanitarian aid. He has seen how every little bit helps. “This tour is not just an incredible performance and celebration of culture, but a bridge between Ukrainians in need and Americans who want to help.” Courtney said. “We’re just faced with a glut of information now that it taxes our empathy and taxes our ability to care about anything at times. I think that curating a social media feed, curating your kind of information consumption so that you are on a diet of other people’s interests, not just your own, but also trying to protect ourselves from just the numbing sensation of feeling like the world is always on fire and there’s nothing we can do about it is an important part of the personal responsibility piece. This is an opportunity for us to stand with our Ukrainian friends and make a bold statement that something beautiful really can help mend something ugly and destructive.”