A Russian state culture institute bans choreography students from staging dances from ‘unfriendly’ countries

A graduate of the Krasnodar State Institute of Culture says choreography students were told they could not stage dances from some countries deemed “unfriendly” to Russia. Her account raises questions about how political relations may affect students’ artistic work and graduation projects.

Karolina Gongadze said Georgia was initially described as a possible restriction for her thesis on Georgian choreography, though it did not appear on the list she was told about. She said a classmate was barred from staging a Moldovan dance, and an Armenian performance was withdrawn from a festival. The list’s status and origins are unclear, and the institute has not commented.