Russian ballet dancer censured for pro-war performance in Uzbekistan

ALMATY, Sept 28 (Reuters) – A distinguished Russian ballet dancer complained on Wednesday that he was censured for performing a track devoted to fallen Russian troopers whereas on tour in Uzbekistan, whereas Uzbek authorities mentioned he had deviated from an agreed programme.

The incident highlighted the priority amongst Moscow’s Central Asian companions about its army marketing campaign in Ukraine, a fellow former Soviet republic.

Dancer Sergei Polunin mentioned in an Instagram video he had carried out a dance – in army uniform – for fallen Russian troopers to a track whose lyrics embrace strains such “We’ll rise, so long as God is with us and the reality is ours”.

The track, “Let Us Rise”, was launched on Feb. 23, Russia’s Military Day – the day earlier than Russian forces invaded Ukraine.

After the efficiency, Polunin mentioned, officers of Uzbekistan’s Tradition and Arts Improvement Basis – an Uzbek state company overseeing arts – rudely reprimanded him for it. Polunin mentioned he needed Russian diplomats to face up for him.

“We should not collapse to this, we should not permit them to do that to Russian artists and Russian tradition,” he mentioned.

Uzbekistan’s Gazeta.uz information web site, nevertheless, quoted the inspiration as saying its officers have been well mannered and identified that Polunin was supposed to stay to the programme, which it mentioned was the track “Take Me to Church” by Irish musician Hozier.

Regardless of having shut ties with Russia, Uzbekistan and its neighbour Kazakhstan have refused to assist what Moscow calls a “particular army operation” in Ukraine, interesting for a peaceable settlement of the battle.

Over the previous week, tens of 1000’s of Russians have fled to Central Asia to evade a conscription marketing campaign introduced by Russian President Vladimir Putin amid setbacks on the Ukrainian battlefields.

Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov
Enhancing by Mark Heinrich

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