Some Ukrainians are defending homeland. Others patriots are defending national cultural identity.

Georgians who support Ukraine and the art of ballet can show up for both on Friday, March 15, when the Grand Kyiv Ballet dances “Giselle” at Atlanta Symphony Hall. Another performance on the company’s tour of 60 cities is at the Miller Center in Augusta March 14.

The internationally renowned ballet couple Kateryna Kukhar and Oleksandr Stoianov will dance the principal roles, giving an Atlanta audience a unique opportunity to see Ukrainian ballet artists. Temporarily based at the International Ballet Academy in Bellevue, Washington, the Grand Kyiv Ballet is touring with a troupe of 35 of its 120 dancers, a U.S. tour including 25 Ukrainians joined by other dancers from the United States, Japan, Italy, Kyrgyz and Moldova.

“The directors of International Ballet – our American family – invited us to have a safe place when the war started,” says Stoianov. “Some students from this academy work with us, and I like to have a lot of collaboration with American dancers, because Ukraine and the United States ballet schools have a little different style that is interesting to us…»