Russian prima ballerina Svetlana Zakharova will not take part in the Les Étoiles 2026 gala concert, which is due to take place on 20–21 March at the Santa Cecilia Hall in the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone in Rome. Her performance has been cancelled following numerous appeals from the public, the media and diplomats. This was reported by La Stampa, citing the organisers.
The statement notes that this year’s edition of the gala is titled ‘Gala of Love’. The organisers explain that the programme features four pairs of dancers who are partners both on stage and in life. The idea behind the event is to present dance as an act of love and a bridge connecting different schools, aesthetics and nationalities through the universal language of dance.
The organisers also refer to the words of Pope Leo XIV from the Angelus prayer of 25 January 2026 on the need to be “peacemakers at home, at school, in sport — everywhere”. They say it was precisely with this idea in mind that Svetlana Zakharova was invited to take part in the gala. According to the organisers, they acted on the conviction that art can unite people without reducing artists to their nationality, and that dance can serve as a bridge bringing people together in the name of peace. At the same time, it is emphasised that the ballerina is not subject to sanctions by European Union countries, and that the invitation was made in accordance with current legislation. The statement, however, makes no mention of her direct links to the current Russian authorities or her support for the war and the annexation of Crimea.
However, in recent days the organisation has received official letters and messages emphasising the symbolic responsibility of cultural institutions in the current international context.
“When an artistic event risks being misinterpreted or exploited, appearing to normalise what is happening and deepening wounds, the bridge that art seeks to build may be destroyed before it is even created,” the statement reads.
In view of this, the organisers, emphasising respect for freedom of creative expression and opposing discrimination on the grounds of nationality, announced that they had withdrawn the invitation.
It should be noted that this is far from the first attempt by the pro-Putin ballerina to perform in various European countries, and in Italy in particular; her performance in Florence was previously cancelled following a major public campaign against allowing representatives of a ‘terrorist state’ and pro-Kremlin artists to appear on European stages.