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The tour was announced on Tuesday, August 6, during a press conference at the Ukrainian House in Washington, DC.

"The National Ballet of Ukraine has not officially toured the United States for over 30 years.

That's why this story is very special," said Mykyta Sukhorukov, soloist of the Taras Shevchenko National Opera of Ukraine, who joined the press conference online.

The US tour will begin on October 8 with a performance at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. "It is very special to be able to support Ukrainian artists and strengthen the connections between them and our audience. It is an honor to celebrate Ukraine's dancers, to witness their amazing resilience in the face of adversity, and to welcome them to the national cultural center here in the United States," said Jane Riley, Director of Dance Programs at the Kennedy Center, during the tour presentation. The Ukrainian ballet tour will also include performances in Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Miami, Atlanta and other cities.

"In most of the cities we are going to, the interest in the tour is very high"

"The interest in the tour from most of the cities we are going to and from the art centers where the dancers will dance is very high. We have just completed a tour of Canada, which was a huge success, and we expect the same success here," Edward Casses, one of the tour organizers and president of the American company Princeton Entertainment Group, told Voice of America.

According to Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova, this is "the first major tour since Ukraine became independent from the Soviet Union."

Markarova added that the tour is "much more than just a world-class ballet performance." "It's also a symbol of the resilience and courage of the Ukrainian people, an opportunity to once again celebrate the rich and outstanding cultural heritage of Ukraine, and to share it with everyone, to share it with our friends," the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States said during the press conference.

"Artists have a role to play in this war, whether on the battlefield or on the stage."

The ballet company will include 44 dancers in total during the U.S. tour. Of these, 25 are representatives of the Taras Shevchenko National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater of Ukraine, and they will be joined by members of the Shumka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble from Canada. "I really believe that artists have a role to play in this war, whether on the battlefield or on the stage. We are starting this tour in the United States not only to show the world our Ukrainian culture. Let this ballet be a reminder that we are a nation of people united not only by a common enemy. We have our own language, culture, art, beauty and history," said Natalia Matsak, prima donna of the Taras Shevchenko National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater of Ukraine. She added that since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, many dancers have left the country, and some have gone to the front line, while others continue to "preserve Ukrainian identity and culture." For his part, Petro Chupryna, General Director and Artistic Director of the Taras Shevchenko National Opera and Ballet Theater, said that before the full-scale Russian invasion, the National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater was showing 26-27 performances a month, half of which were ballet.