Top Ballet Performers ‘Dance for Ukraine’ in Charity Event

Australian ballet dancer Alison McWhinney and Fernando Gabriele Frola of Italy perform "La Sylphide" during "Dance for Ukraine", a charity gala to raise funds for people in need in Ukraine, at The London Coliseum, in London, Britain, March 19, 2022. (Reuters)
Australian ballet dancer Alison McWhinney and Fernando Gabriele Frola of Italy perform "La Sylphide" during "Dance for Ukraine", a charity gala to raise funds for people in need in Ukraine, at The London Coliseum, in London, Britain, March 19, 2022. (Reuters)
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Top Ballet Performers ‘Dance for Ukraine’ in Charity Event

Australian ballet dancer Alison McWhinney and Fernando Gabriele Frola of Italy perform "La Sylphide" during "Dance for Ukraine", a charity gala to raise funds for people in need in Ukraine, at The London Coliseum, in London, Britain, March 19, 2022. (Reuters)
Australian ballet dancer Alison McWhinney and Fernando Gabriele Frola of Italy perform "La Sylphide" during "Dance for Ukraine", a charity gala to raise funds for people in need in Ukraine, at The London Coliseum, in London, Britain, March 19, 2022. (Reuters)

Away from the fighting in Ukraine, Russian and Ukrainian ballet dancers rubbed shoulders in London on Saturday in a charity event that united some of the world's leading dance performers for humanitarian relief in the war-torn eastern European nation.

About 20 dancers, with glistening bodies and graceful moves, received a thunderous applause from the packed auditorium at the London Coliseum theater for the 'Dance for Ukraine' gala.

"We have so many loved ones back home. We couldn't just sit idly at home and just watch news, we wanted to do something," Ivan Putrov, who is from Ukraine and organized the event with Romanian Alina Cojocaru, told Reuters.

Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, an attack Moscow calls a "special operation" to demilitarize its neighbor.

The UN human rights office has said at least 847 civilians had been killed and 1,399 wounded in Ukraine as of Friday. More than 3.3 million refugees have fled Ukraine through its western border, with around 2 million more displaced inside the country.

Some audience members were draped in the Ukrainian flag for the event, with dancers from many countries including Brazil, Italy and Britain providing glamour to the stage that was lit in shades of yellow and blue.

Katja Khaniukova from Ukraine and Natalia Osipova from Russia were among those who took part. There were also dancers from the United States, France, Japan and Argentina at the event, which the organizers said raised at least 140,000 pounds ($184,520.00) for the Disasters Emergency Committee's Ukraine appeal.

"So many of the artists contacted us wanting to join so it is inspiring how overwhelming the support is from the people, but we need more support in Ukraine, more support from different governments around the world," said Putrov.



'Superman' Director James Gunn Remakes the Hero for the Big Screen

FILE PHOTO: Director James Gunn poses at a photo call for the film Superman in Culver City, California, US, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Director James Gunn poses at a photo call for the film Superman in Culver City, California, US, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
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'Superman' Director James Gunn Remakes the Hero for the Big Screen

FILE PHOTO: Director James Gunn poses at a photo call for the film Superman in Culver City, California, US, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Director James Gunn poses at a photo call for the film Superman in Culver City, California, US, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo

James Gunn, writer and director of the off-kilter "Guardians of the Galaxy" films, tussled with various ideas on how to deliver a new take on Superman to the big screen.

Gunn said he was aware of the many ways the noble hero had been approached since his 1938 debut, initially in comic books and then radio serials, television shows and movies.

The challenge was to deliver something fresh that would appeal to a new generation of moviegoers and reinvigorate Warner Bros Discovery's DC Studios.

His vision, in the movie titled simply "Superman," starts rolling out in international theaters on Wednesday and in the United States and Canada on Friday, Reuters reported.

In the opening scene, Superman, played for the first time by David Corenswet, is seen bloodied after a fight, an unusual portrayal for the Man of Steel.

"I wanted to take the character of Superman and just focus on a piece of him that we haven't necessarily seen before," Gunn said.

Gunn surrounded Superman with elements that enthralled him from the comics as a child. Superman lives in a world, Gunn said, with "superhero friends and giant monsters and flying dogs, robots and all this magical stuff."

The new film includes Superman's four-legged sidekick, a superpowered dog named Krypto first introduced in a 1955 comic. The latest version is based on Gunn's real-life, misbehaving rescue mutt.

Warner Bros is counting on "Superman" to start a new era at DC Studios, which has failed to match the superhero success of Walt Disney-owned Marvel. Gunn, who made the "Guardians" movies for Marvel, was named co-CEO of DC Studios, alongside producer Peter Safran, in 2022.

The pair have plotted a long-term slate that features a Supergirl movie for June 2026, a film based on Swamp Thing and TV shows for HBO Max. Wonder Woman and Batman also are expected to return to cinemas.

Gunn said the aesthetic that audiences see in "Superman" will not necessarily foreshadow future DC Studios endeavors. "I want to be really certain that every project has its own unique flavor," Gunn said.

"We're doing Clayface, and that doesn't feel like this movie. It's an R-rated horror movie. We're doing 'Lanterns,' which is an HBO show, which feels very much like an HBO show, very grounded, very kind of brutal. We have 'Peacemaker,' which is an adult show with a lot of emotion and a lot of comedy."

Gunn admitted he has felt the weight of responsibility to produce a hit.
"I've felt pressure all along," Gunn said. "That's been difficult."

But as he started to see initial reaction to the film, "I'm feeling pretty good," he said. "It's pretty fun. I'm seeing the effect the movie has on people."