dancers. alexei ratmansky is a world renowned choreographer with roots in both russia and ukraine, once director of the bolshoi ballet in moscow, and now putting on a special production of gisele with the united ukrainian ballet to show the world ukrainian culture lives on. has ballet become a battleground? alexei ratmansky, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much, an honour to be here. you hardtalk. thank you very much, an honour to be here. an honour to be here. you are here in london an honour to be here. you are here in london because - an honour to be here. you are here in london because you i here in london because you mounting this extraordinary set of performances of gisele. performed by ukrainian dancers. can you go about putting on how can you go about putting on a performance with ukrainians when their country is at war? there was an extraordinary project, it started in march, i received a call from my friend in holland, she is a former principal ballerina, and
that is correct. 50 expected to stay and fight. that is correct. expected to stay and fight. that is correct. 50 these male dancers have that is correct. 50 these male dancers have special- dancers have special dispensation.- dancers have special dispensation. dancers have special disensation. , , ., dispensation. they were sent on a mission to dispensation. they were sent on a mission to show dispensation. they were sent on a mission to show the dispensation. they were sent on a mission to show the world - a mission to show the world that ukrainian culture is alive, and to represent ukraine and the culture. alive, and to represent ukraine and the culture. you are one of the world s and the culture. you are one of the world s top and the culture. you are one of| the world s top choreographers. is it possible for you to meet your own exacting standards in these difficult circumstances? it is a very different project from other than i have done before, and we all do it for o