PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WLOX) - The Grand Kiev Ballet will perform Swan Lake at the Pascagoula High School Performing Arts Center on Thursday night, after canceling last year’s show due to snow.
Producer and director Oleksandr Stoianov said the company is bringing costumes and decorations created in Ukraine for the production.
“We will come with Swan Lake and with a very beautiful production. Very beautiful ballet dancers, costumes, and decorations,” Stoianov said. “The decorations and costumes were created in Ukraine. We brought all this stuff from our country.”
The company’s version of Swan Lake features a different ending than traditional productions. Stoianov said their version has a happy ending where only evil dies, while the Prince and Swan have a future together, unlike other versions where everyone dies.
Stoianov spoke about conditions in Ukraine, where a war has been going on for nearly four years. Stoianov said friends told him people lack hot water, electricity, and heat. He said markets and food shops are closing due to power outages that could destroy refrigerated food.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The situation every day is worse and worse, and it’s really terrible and difficult, but we still hope and think everything will be okay,” Stoianov said. “We still try to do what we can do best — it’s dancing and our art. We promote our culture, we bring beauty to this world, and also we try to support our families and our country.”
The performance is scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Pascagoula High School Performing Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased online.
See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.
Copyright 2026 WLOX. All rights reserved.