On more than one occasion, a National Ballet of Ukraine performance has been halted due to the sirens of war.

They all went something like this: the renowned ballet company’s impeccably-trained classical dancers take to the stage at the Taras Shevchenko National Opera House in Kyiv, dazzling with their pristine costumes and exquisite technique. The audience, rightfully craving some semblance of escape from the realities of Russia’s invasion, delight in this feast for the eyes. Pirouettes, pointed toes, ornate tutus, slick buns, delicate hands.

And then: an alarm. Hearts stop.

Gorgeous classical music is halted. Dancers ditch their choreography. Audience members are taken to the theatre’s onsite shelter. Everyone simply waits. Not even a brief moment of beauty, it would seem, can go uninterrupted in times like these.

In some cases, the show is too close to its ending, or the alarm is simply too long, for things to resume. But in others, everyone shuffles back into the theatre and things continue. Carry on. Because they have to.

“If the alarm is not so long, and it makes sense to continue the performance, we continue,” asserts Liudmyla Movlenko, the head of personnel and foreign affairs for the ballet company, via video.

Prior to the war, the National Ballet of Ukraine produced 16 shows per month. Today, that number has vastly shrunk (as have audience numbers, due to the fact that the theatre’s shelter cannot accommodate a full house). Still, Movlenko says that they’re packing the seats.

“I think that people need something to [distract] from the horrors of war,” she says. “After an attack or after an alarm at night or early morning, they would like to see beautiful costumes, to hear nice music—and to come back, however it is possible, in such a period, to their previous life. That’s why almost all our performances are sold out.”

Art has always become a form of protest—especially during times of horror. For the National Ballet of Ukraine, taking to the stage is an act of resilience. Of defiance. Of true courage. And they’re bringing it all to Canada on a multi-stop tour that touches down in Vancouver from February 5 to 7.

Nearly 30 of the company’s 150 dancers will be on the 10-city tour, performing a selection of excerpts from classical ballets (think: Don Quixote and Le Corsaire), as well as popular ballets from Ukraine and some traditional dances, as well. The tour is raising money for war relief efforts through HUMANITE and the Olena Zelenska Foundation; the latter is the Ukrainian First Lady’s charity, which focuses on crisis relief, refugee aid, and rebuilding efforts throughout the country.

“She has been involved for many years in cultural life and artistic life,” says Movlenko, who is acting as Zelenska’s official representative for this tour. “And we are proud, indeed, that she is paying attention to our tour.”

The show is called Nadiya. Its translation, and therefore its message, is simple: hope.

The National Ballet of Ukraine will be at Vancouver’s Centre For Performing Arts from February 5 to 7.