美国国家公共电台 NPR--Ukrainian ballet dancer Oleksandr Shapoval is killed on the battlefield

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Ukrainian ballet dancer Oleksandr Shapoval is killed on the battlefield

Transcript¹

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Ukrainian ballet dancer Oleksandr Shapoval is being remembered as a courageous² romantic. Days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Shapoval volunteered to fight. In September, he was killed on the battlefield, according to the National Opera of Ukraine, where he was a principal dancer. He was 48 years old. Here's NPR's Elizabeth Blair.

ELIZABETH BLAIR, BYLINE³: Prima ballerina Christina Shishpor met Oleksandr Shapoval 22 years ago. Speaking from Kyiv, she says their first ballet together was dancing the leads in "Swan Lake."

CHRISTINA SHISHPOR: It took my heart and took my breath when I danced with him, this "Swan Lake" first time.

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BLAIR: Shishpor and Shapoval went on to dance in many different ballets together. She remembers his versatility⁴. She says he could be tender when the part called for it or fierce.

(SOUNDBITE OF NAYDEN TODOROV AND SOFIA NATIONAL OPERA ORCHESTRA'S "DON QUIXOTE: ESPADA")

BLAIR: Soon after Russia invaded the country, Shapoval volunteered to fight. Shishpor says she wasn't at all surprised by his decision.

SHISHPOR: It was to be expected. And everyone understood that he would give his duty for our country, for our people, for our children. He was always standing⁵ on the side of justice.

BLAIR: Eventually, Shapoval's unit was sent to a region with heavy fighting, and he was killed. The National Opera of Ukraine issued a statement that said his death was received with indescribable sadness.

SHISHPOR: He was a reliable partner, reliable friend, sincere human being. And I must say that he was the soul of the team.

BLAIR: The soul of the team. Oleksandr Shapoval is survived by his wife and a 21-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter.

Elizabeth Blair, NPR News.

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