What a summer! The US got a new presidential candidate who has decided to double down on genocide. Ukraine has taken the war into Russia. And scare tactics about “the other side” have kept us all focused on our narrow identities instead of our common humanity.

Which Brings Us to Today…

I’ve been thinking about our “narrow identities” for ~20 years since moving to Iraq at the height of the war. Being an “American” and “Christian” has made me a target of both praise and violence.

When it comes to identity, most get trapped on the first floor. They either hate their flag, religion, or parents so much that they take a jackhammer to their ground of being. Or they secretly doubt the load-bearing capacity of these infallible pillars and never dare build a 2nd floor.

The Peacemaker’s Guide is for those who want to go higher.

Today, we ask: “What’s a true Russian?” (and am I one of them)

Let me know what you think!

Jeremy

FIELD NOTES

So, I’m Taking Ballet Lessons…

Can you imagine? A Russian ballerina named Ksenia Karelina just got sentenced to 12 years in prison for opposing Putin’s war in Ukraine. Twelve years. All for a donation she made to help Ukrainians in need.

Her voice? 

Silenced. 

Her art?

Punished.

Meanwhile, across the border, I’ve been working with a bunch of Ukrainian ballerinas…

And the contrast couldn’t be more striking. 

The Russian ballerina gets prison.

The Ukrainians get to dance freely on the biggest stages in the world.

All of them, pleading for peace.

For the First Time Ever

I’m proud to be one of the organizers and producers responsible for bringing the acclaimed National Ballet of Ukraine on its first-ever American tour since the fall of the Soviet Union.

I didn’t know anything about ballet a year ago.

Now, I’ve come to know this ballet personally. And these dancers are more than artists—they’re a living testament to the culture and strength at stake in Russia’s war.

The HUMANITE team and I have been on the road with these world-class dancers over the past year, in both Canada and Ukraine, to raise money and help provide immediate relief and prepare for long-term recovery.

Each night, I watch audiences weep at the destruction caused by Russian airstrikes.

I see them cheer for their Ukrainian neighbors who refuse to be erased. 

And then we all link arms to help build bomb shelters and underground classrooms for the 900,000 Ukrainian children we’re trying to get safely back to school.

Not Like Most

Most dancers will tell you “Dance is life”. 

But Ukrainian ballerinas are not like most.

Daniil works in a volunteer medic battalion. 

Oleksandr died fighting on the frontlines. 

Yaroslav and Tania are balancing marriage, the spotlight of global diplomacy, and the responsibility of constantly making the case for Ukraine.

And all of this amidst the threat of Russian airstrikes and the loss of loved ones on the frontlines.

Yes, “Dance is life”.

But first, they have to survive.

What Makes a True Russian?

I don’t want us to miss the real reason that the Russian ballerina Ksenia Karelina isn't dancing anymore.

People said “Putin is evil” or “Russia is evil.”

But that’s too simplistic.

Ksenia saw Ukrainians as humans, not just an enemy flag. And when she saw her neighbors in need, it didn’t matter that she was Russian and they were not. To her, nationality was among the least important things about each of them. What mattered to Ksenia was their shared humanity. And so, she donated to an American-Ukrainian charity.

Russia called her donation “treason”.

How could a true Russian humanize their enemy?

But as audiences gather this Fall for The National Ballet of Ukraine’s first-ever American tour since the demise of the USSR, there will be no dodging these questions of identity. Because identity is core to all our fears.

What makes ballet French, Russian, or Ukrainian?

Is it the creator?

The performer?

The stage?

Or, as the Soviet dissident Mikhail Baryshnikov asked Putin at the start of this war—what makes a true Russian?

Is it the one who supports the Motherland’s every move?

Baryshnikov suggests true Russians bring the country honor by displaying real humanity.

I never met Ksenia Karelina, but she seems like a “true Russian.” And she makes me proud of the other true Russians, the true Ukrainians, and the true Americans like her who keep bringing our focus back to our shared humanity.

Can We See Beyond Our Flags?

When we invited our friends from the National Ballet to tour America, we didn’t just want to show off their talent, #StandWithUkraine, or unwittingly fuel the American/NATO war machine. We wanted to build a platform for peace where we could all be reminded of a few universal truths.

People are just people like you.

Provoking each other to violence is wrong.

Occupation is wrong.

Bombing hospitals and schools is wrong.

Erasing people’s identity and culture is wrong.

Regardless of politics or place.

No matter how sympathetic the victim… or victor.

Take Break Make Things

War always comes for art, music, literature, and dance.

Art helps us create our identities.

And art helps us transcend them.

Art allows us to imagine The World Where Everyone Rises. Which is exactly what those trapped on the first floor by their narrow identities fear most.

But 20 years on the frontlines of the world’s worst conflicts have taught me that those who take things and those who break things can never outlast those of us who use our energy to actually make things.

There’s never been a ballet tour quite like this.

If you’re on the East Coast in October, I hope you’ll come out to see why.

Jeremy Courtney
Cofounder
HUMANITE Peace Collective

www.humanite.org

PS — BTW the ballet is not what I thought it was. Footwork like an NFL running back. Hops like the NBA Dunk Contest. And interactive 3D screen technology that has never been used for ballet before. Tickets for our first 16 US cities are on sale now. Click to see if we’re visiting your city.