Smirnova, who has previously voiced her opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, will join the Dutch National Ballet.
Russian prima ballerina Olga Smirnova, who has been critical of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has left the Bolshoi Ballet Company in Moscow to join the Dutch National Ballet, the Dutch organization has announced.
“It is a privilege that she dances with our company in the Netherlands, even if the circumstances that caused this move are incredibly sad,” said Ted Brandsen, director of the Netherlands National Ballet, on Wednesday.
Considered one of the greatest dancers of her generation, Smirnova, 30, already voiced her opposition to the war against messaging app Telegram earlier this month.
“I never thought that I would be ashamed of Russia, I have always been proud of the talented Russian people, our cultural and sporting achievements,” she wrote. “But now I feel like the line has been drawn.”
Smirnova is now physically in the Netherlands, a spokesperson for the ballet confirmed.
“The point is not only that every second Russian probably has relatives or friends living in Ukraine, or that my grandfather is Ukrainian … The point is that we continue to live as if it were the 20th century,” the ballerina said.
Several foreign performers have left their positions in Russia since the invasion, but Smirnova is by far the biggest local star to have left.
During the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union experienced a series of infamous defections by famous performers, most notably the legendary dancer Rudolf Nureyev, who sought asylum during a 1961 visit by the Kirov Ballet to Paris.
Many current Russian pop stars refused to criticize the invasion of Ukraine, including the eminent conductor Valery Gergiev and soprano Anna Netrebko, and they were fired from their jobs in the West or canceled tours.
22-year-old Brazilian dancer Victor Caixeta, who worked for five years with the ballet company of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, has also joined the Amsterdam company.