Thank you. Im jim acosta. Goodod night. Welcome to the whole story. Im anderson cooper. For ukrainians the war with russia isnt just about the survival of their nation but their identity, language, culture. A big part of that culture is ballet. Some dancers stayed in ukraine and continued to perform even with limited audiences and constant air raid sirens. Others made the hard choice to leave and continue with their training. A group of about 60 dancers found their way to the netherlands where they joined the United Ukrainian Ballet. Every dancer in that company is a refugee. They perform nonrussian ballets all over the world. They plan to keep on doing that, showing the world the power and beauty of ukrainian ballet and why their culture is worth protecting. Cnns Christiane Amanpour traveled to the netherlands and ukraine to meet with this Extraordinary Group of dancers and watch them as they fight the war in their own way. Thats great. Okay guys. Lets go. From the beginning of the war i began to think should i go to military, to protect my country . I actually still think about it. Do you think you could have picked up a gun . You are a dancer. You do peaceful things. Do you think you could have gone to the front . It was quite hard to think about these things. Because if i will choose this, i understand that i will not be dancer anymore. So for me its choice of my life. I can represent my country as a dancer as a ballet artist. We remind people that russia tried to destroy our identity. They told us ukraine doesnt have culture. This country does not exist. We are showing that we exist and we have our own culture. Its our mission. Its our mission. Ready . Where were you on the morning of february 24th, 2022 . I slept in my flat in kharkiv. I heard explosions outside. I felt something really, really terrible begin. Something like inside. How to say it . Say it in ukrainian. It was like a feeling that the story from a book comes to the real life. Everything started trembling like we were trying to understand what we have to do, what our next steps are going to be. Before panic comes. We looked for a place to hide. We had cellar in our house. Its cold because we are sitting for hours. Residents of kyiv seem to be getting in their cars and driving as fast as they can to the west. [ speaking in nonenglish language ] reporter what were you feeling . Were you scared . [ speaking in nonenglish language ] there were very scary moments when russians were near kyiv and then mom told me that you are a girl. They are crazy soldiers. I dont want you to be here. From early in the morning we waited till late in the evening to sit inside the train, how many people inside. It was luck we went on last or one before last trains. Nine hours without moving. The Fastest GrowingRefugee Crisis in europe since world war ii, spilling across the borders of the former soviet union and now relying on the kindness of strangers. A year ago i was dancing with two ukrainian dancers, and then the war started. I was able to give them a place here to keep dancing and then i would hear the stories of their friends and colleagues in kyiv being stuck in metro stations and not being able to work or dance at all. Reporter what was the light bulb that went off that said im going to create this new ballet for these ukrainian dancers who cant do it at home anymore . I thought about it and i said, why dont i try to use my position here to get as many people as i can here . They came in little by little. Ill never forget the first ballerina who arrived. She arrived with her little daughter 2 years old. They had spent 40 hours on the train with three suitcases. Alexa is a dear friend of mine. He is a phenomenal choreographer. He is a wonderful human being. I knew the company needed him as an inspiration. I grew up in kyiv, ukraine. Was born in len ingrad. My mom is from lenin grad. She is russian. My dad is from kyiv. He is ukrainian jew. When the war started, i was in moscow doing a new big ballet. Anger, disbelief, you just cant believe that it can happen. I worked with the russian dancers for more than 20 years. You realize that all of your russian history, all this connects you to your past, your projects, it is like shutting the door. He left everything and left straight away. So i called him and i said im starting this project. I need your help. She said, i have a few ukrainian dancers, and they are going to be more. They are refugees. I want to give them a place for my permanent company. He said im there. Just tell me when. Im there. And so he came to make his gist el. We picked giselle because it is one of the most beautiful classical ballets ever choreographed. At the beginning of the show we had women because the men are not allowed to leave the country at a certain age, so the men had to get a special permission. When the first few men arrived, that was a very emotional day. They were texting each other saying, okay. Were almost there. Were almost there. There are still dancers. There are a couple. She didnt know that her boyfriend was arriving and she was in class. And just at one point he was by the door. To see them reunited, it is very emotional. They were safe. The day when i came, i went immediately to rehearsal. Just 20 minutes after i came. It actually really helps me to not feel like bad or depression or Something Like this. Work really helps. Its a good way to feel in the middle of a war. Yes, yes. Not think about anything. Just be in the moment. [ speaking in nonenglish language ] did you expect some of them to arrive with grandmothers and babies . No. Sisters, aunts, families . No, no. Not really. But of course when they did, we tried to everybody was welcomed. Now the united ukraine ballet is more than 65 dancers, so its a whole community now. What is your impression of these refugees who have had to flee a land at war . It was very strange. When we started a year ago, you. People come and then you say what are we going to do . Lets dance. You know, coming from a war. Its weird and its very hard. But this is the language i speak, they speak, and we find each other here as friends, as family. We go coming up slowly like the flowers in springtime. It wasnt the company at the beginning but people of very different experiences and levels. Some roles very challenging physically. They were all excited but some were very scared. But the moment we started to work, it just, you know, its work. You need to get the steps right. You need to get the acting right, the style. You need to unify the dynamics. Its not only dancing. It carries the weight of representing the country at war. Just months after it was formed, the United Ukrainian Ballet is about to show their giselle to the world. Well be performing at Kennedy Center in washington, d. C. , one of the most important stages in the world. Very exciting. And were a little scared, but its going to be great. Its going to be great. Tech need to get your windshield fixed . Safelite makes it easy. Tech vo you can schedule in just a few clicks. And well come to you with a replacement you can trust. Man looks great. Tech thats service on your time. Schedule now. Singers safelite repair, safelite replace. My Heart Failure diagnosis changed my priorities. I want time for the people i love. My heart doesnt pump enough blood. So my doctor gave me farxiga. Farxiga it helps my heart do its job better. Farxiga helps keep me living life. And out of the hospital for Heart Failure. Farxiga can cause serious side effects including dehydration, Urinary Tract or genital Yeast Infections in women and men and low blood sugar. 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[announcer] finance your next car with carvana today. soft whistling there has been an increase of attacks against kharkiv i decided to go back to kharkiv to film my city, the city i love. The bombs raining down on the city of kharkiv. I wanted at least to say in my heart and in some way at least i save it on the screen. [ speaking in nonenglish language ] i felt that we will win actually because our people even when war goes on will not stop us to growing flowers. What was it like going back to the theater . In some way a nice feeling to go inside again and also the smell of the building, which you get every day when you work. Reporter you remember the smell is very provocative. Yes, yes. You go through darkness, corridors, you understand that now everything changed. When the russians destroyed ukrainian cities, they destroy not just some buildings or some stones or Something Like this. They destroy our childhood, our memories, our life. Its like part of your life they just break and take away. They break and take away. They break people and people try to repair it, make it alive again. Your father is there. Hes fighting on the front line. Are you afraid for him . [ speaking in nonenglish language ] [ speaking in nonenglish language ] [ speaking in nonenglish language ] when i came from ukraine first it was difficult because i was so sad. When we were together there in ukraine with my family and heard the bombs and rockets, we were told if anything would happen we will be together and while you are here you feel that you are safe like the syndrome of the survivor. And its not a good feeling. Its better, sorry, better to die together than separately. But it is what it is. Yes. Like i always tell, the main word is we are trying to continue. Theyre not military people. I think it is very important for them to feel that they also contribute. Feel a great responsibility, and russian ballet is best what . You didnt see us yet. We tour with giselle in different cities. [ speaking in nonenglish language ] dancing in ukrainian, United Ukrainian Valley on different stages of the world is important for the dancers because they represent the country. They represent the culture of ukraine. Singapore it looks like ukrainian flag. Really inspired me. We have our own battle field. Its a cultural battlefield. Reporter soon theyll step on to the most consequential stage yet in the country with the power to determine the fate of their nation. They constantly, we all are, we constantly think about ukraine, how we can help. In kyiv i met two dancers with the Ukrainian National ballet, olga and viktor. I know that you know of them. And theyre staying and theyre trying to do their best to put on performances, and it is really difficult. What does it say to you about the will of people and about those colleagues who are staying . They are really brave. They are really strong. 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Your over confidence is your weakness. [ speaking in nonenglish language ] each first made a decision to stay here or to go. I decided to stay. Reporter did you ever think of going to the front lines . Some of the dancers did. Yeah, of course. I did. I did. The first days i came to the Military Recruitment but i dont have any military experience, so they just said, okay. If we need you, we will call you. I think everyone has to choose what is right for him. [ speaking in nonenglish language ] it was an amazing feeling when i saw the people coming. I understood that we are doing something that people really need. Reporter do you feel also that you are defending Ukrainian Culture right now . Of course. Defending and i hope developing. For many years Ukrainian Culture was in the shadow of the russian culture. [ speaking in nonenglish language ] [ speaking in nonenglish language ] reporter did you know him . [ speaking nonenglish language ] reporter do you feel that you are doing your bit to protect your country and to tell the world about your country by dancing, by having left, by not being on the front line . I am trying. I am trying. Our company tries to represent our country that people will fall in love in our country and in our people. I think we want to in a good way with a soft weapon, we want to remind people that we still need help. Please dont forget about it. I know that everything depends on us. The Ukrainian Armed forces, so much depends on the world so much in the world depends on you. For United Ukrainian Ballet to be here in the heart, political heart of the United States is very significant. We. Knew just what to say. I asked for cologuard and did it my way. Cologuard is a oneofa kind way to screen for colon cancer thats effective and noninvasive. Its for people 45 plus at average risk, not high risk. False positive and negative results may occur. 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