Ukraine: Dancing in Defiance
CNN's Chief International Anchor, Christiane Amanpour, covers the remarkable story of Ukrainian ballet dancers who faced the wrenching decision to either leave their homes and show the world the face of Ukrainian culture or stay behind to continue performing in a war zone.
This episode follows members of the Holland-based United Ukrainian Ballet Company, composed of dancers displaced from Ukraine in the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. CNN's cameras capture intimate moments of dancers grappling with survivor's guilt as their families remain on the front lines, all while remaining determined to fight for their culture. The pressure rises as they prepare to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC – one of the most prestigious stages in a country with the power to determine the fate of their nation. In Kyiv, Amanpour spoke with dancers who have chosen to stay and perform at the National Opera and Ballet Theater in their home country, offering a brief respite from the war to audiences and defending Ukrainian culture from annihilation, even as sirens and air raid alerts ring out. The theater reopened three months after the war broke out and limited its audience to a fifth of its capacity – the maximum its bomb shelter could hold.
"Speaking to this troupe of ballet dancers, we learn that making art during war is a form of resistance and defiance," said Amanpour. "Ukrainians are also cementing their separate cultural heritage in the face of Russia's attempts to deny and wipe out their history."
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is a spinoff series set in The Walking Dead Universe that centers around the eponymous character. Daryl washes ashore in France, raising the ire of a splintered but growing autocratic movement centered in Paris and endangering a young boy at the heart of a benevolent religious movement.
Elsbeth
Elsbeth follows Elsbeth Tascioni, an astute but unconventional attorney who utilizes her singular point of view to make unique observations and corner brilliant criminals alongside the NYPD. After leaving her successful legal career in Chicago to tackle a new investigative role in New York City, Elsbeth finds herself jockeying with the toast of the NYPD, Captain C.W. Wagner, a charismatic and revered leader. Working alongside Elsbeth is Officer Kaya Blanke, a stoic and ethical officer who quickly develops an appreciation for Elsbeth's insightful and offbeat ways.
Revival
Revival is set on one miraculous day in rural Wisconsin when the recently deceased suddenly rise from their graves. But this is no zombie story as the "revived" appear and act just like they once were. When local Officer and single mother Dana Cypress is unexpectedly thrown into the center of a brutal murder mystery of her own, she's left to make sense of the chaos amidst a town gripped by fear and confusion where everyone, alive or undead, is a suspect.