The Royal Theatre in Madrid Says Nyet! to The Bolshoi Ballet
The Bolshoi Ballet after a performance in St. Petersburg, Russia on 13 December 2019
by Guidepost
If you expected to attend the performances of the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet scheduled this May, be informed that the Royal Theatre in Madrid has Nyeted the Bolshoi Theatre’s classical ballet company “in view of the armed conflict that Russia has unleashed in Ukraine that is causing a serious global crisis and a painful humanitarian emergency,” per the Royal Theatre communique issued on 4 March 2022.
Earlier, on 27 February, barely three days after the Russian invasion, the Royal Theater was quick to show its “profound respect and solitary” with the Ukrainians when in the last performance of the sublime Wagner opera, “Twilight of the Gods,” the corpse of Siegfried was wrapped in the flag of Ukraine.
Teatro Real (Royal Theatre), Madrid
Further to the above, the Royal Theatre communique states:
“The Royal Theatre regrets being unable to count on [the] prestigious company whose director, Vladimir Urin, has publicly spoken out in favor of Ukraine and against the war.
“Throughout the month of March, the Royal Theatre will reimburse the tickets acquired for [the Bolshoi Ballet] show.”
The Royal Theatre, with its decision to cancel the Bolshoi Ballet show, is joining a wide array of Spanish companies and institutions who have stopped or will stop operations in Russia, or have broken or will be breaking their ties with Russia, while the war in Ukraine continues. Some of the companies that have broken off and pulled out of Russia are Inditex, Acerinox, Amadeus, Tous, Fluidra, and Meliá Hotels International.
Inditex is particularly affected by the war inasmuch as the world’s retail fashion group runs more than 500 stores carrying Inditex brands in Russia, not to mention its online operations in that place. Of all those brands Bershka is the most popular as reflected by the 106 Bershka stores through the Russian Federation, followed by Pull&Bear (87 stores), Zara (86), Stradivarius (76), Oysho (63), Massimo Dutti (53), Zara Home (44), and Uterqüe (12).
Inditex, one of whose store brands is Zara, is cutting its ties with Russia while the war goes on
Inditex has disclosed that its Russin operations constitute some 8.5% of its global operations and that its 9,000-strong personnel in Russia is Inditex’s “priority”.
ORIGINAL TEXT OF THE COMMUNIQUE
Madrid, 4 de marzo de 2022.- El Teatro Real ha decidido cancelar las actuaciones del Ballet Bolshoi, previstas para el próximo mes de mayo, ante el conflicto bélico desatado por Rusia en Ucrania, que está originando una grave crisis en el mundo y una dolorosa emergencia humanitaria.
El Teatro Real lamenta no poder contar con esta prestigiosa compañía, cuyo director, Vladimir Urin, se ha pronunciado públicamente a favor de Ucrania y en contra de la guerra.
El Teatro Real, conmocionado y consternado por la dramática situación que está viviendo Ucrania, y como expresión de profundo respeto y solidaridad con su pueblo, el pasado 27 de febrero, en la última función de El ocaso de los dioses, se envolvió el cadáver de Siegfried en la bandera de Ucrania, integrando el homenaje simbólico del Teatro Real en la visionaria y sublime ópera de Wagner.
El Teatro Real reembolsará, a lo largo del mes de marzo, el importe de las localidades que se hayan adquirido para este espectáculo.
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Images
Featured image (Bolshoi Ballet in St. Petersburg)/Ninara via Flickr, CC BY2.0
Royal Theatre/Alexander Bernal via Wikipedia, CC BY-SA4.0
Zara/Kwuong Tianz Mina, CC BY-SA4.0
