Italian Theater Suspends Russian Artists’ Performance
The Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino announced on Thursday that the ballet “Pas de deux for toes and fingers,” originally set for January 20 and 21, has been “temporarily suspended.”
The production is the hallmark collaboration of married artists, ballerina Svetlana Zakharova and violinist Vadim Repin, both internationally acclaimed soloists.
According to the theater’s statement, “ongoing international tensions” have created “a climate that could jeopardize the successful staging.” No new dates have been provided, and ticket holders are being offered refunds.
Although the venue did not directly explain the decision, the Russian Embassy in Italy accused the theater of yielding to political pressure from Ukraine. In a strongly worded post on Telegram on Friday, the Embassy claimed that “the suspension” amounted to outright cancellation, allegedly made “in response to an appeal from the Embassy of Ukraine in Rome.”
The diplomatic mission further argued that the “criminal terrorist regime of [Ukraine’s Vladimir] Zelensky” was undermining Italy’s cultural independence, while also hinting that EU financial influence may have contributed. It sarcastically “congratulated” Florence for sinking deeper into the “murky waters of Russophobia.”
This incident reflects a broader trend in which prominent Russian artists—particularly those perceived as supportive of government policy—have seen events canceled since the intensification of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. For instance, last July, the Italian Ministry of Culture rescinded an invitation to renowned Russian conductor Valery Gergiev for a festival in Naples.
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