Refugee ballet dancers from Ukraine

for Los Angeles Times
by Maximilian Mann

At the beginning of March 2022, a big competition for over 200 young ballet dancers was supposed to take place in Kyiv. Then the brutal war in Ukraine began. The competition had to be cancelled. Instead of ballet, bombs were falling. Young people flee the city and find new and safe homes. Over 80 young Ukrainians, usually between the ages of 12 and 18, were accepted at prestigious ballet schools throughout Europe.