Dance for Justice Coalition

08/15/2025

Official Statement from Dance for Justice

On the verge of the upcoming U.S.–Russia summit in Anchorage, Alaska, Russian state propaganda has released a reel allegedly portraying “long-standing friendship and cooperation” between the two countries. Notably, the reel features a ballroom dance couple dressed in the national colors of the United States and Russia, performing a Viennese Waltz against the backdrop of historical events.

The use of ballroom dance as a centerpiece in this propaganda material is deeply disturbing. It demonstrates once again how the Russian government and its proxies abroad are weaponizing culture—specifically the international Ballroom Dance Industry—to advance political narratives and whitewash the ongoing war crimes committed by the Putin regime.

We strongly condemn the exploitation of ballroom dancing as a propaganda tool. Culture and art must never be used to legitimize aggression or to obscure the suffering of innocent people. Dance for Justice will continue to call out and oppose all such manipulative practices that seek to distort the truth and exploit the arts for political gain.

— Dance for Justice Coalition

07/22/2025

🚨 SHOCKING DEVELOPMENT IN DANCESPORT — COLLUSION WITH SANCTIONED ENTITIES IN RUSSIA 🚨

On June 12, 2025, several high-profile figures in the international dancesport community — including:

- Donnie Burns (President of WDC)
- Heidi Burns
- Massimo Giorgiani
- Alessia Manfredini
- Riccardo Cocchi
- Yulia Zagoruychenko
- Colin James
- Paolo Bosco

…participated in an event in Moscow organized by FDSARR — a Russian dance federation deeply entangled with state propaganda and U.S.-sanctioned entities.

🛑 The competition was sponsored or supported by multiple Russian state-linked companies sanctioned by the U.S. Government, including:
• VTB Bank (SDN-listed)
• Gazprombank (SDN-listed)
• Rosgosstrakh (SDN-listed)
• Russian Railways (sectoral sanctions under EO 14024)
• Novatek PJSC (sectoral sanctions)
• Artek Camp in Crimea — a propaganda tool used to indoctrinate children, especially disturbing in light of Russia’s documented kidnapping and reeducation of Ukrainian children in occupied territories.

⚠️ FDSARR itself includes Crimea, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk — all illegally occupied Ukrainian territories — within its jurisdiction. Supporting or legitimizing such an organization directly reinforces Russia’s illegal territorial claims.

🚨🚨🚨And most shockingly:
During the event, a letter from Vladimir Putin endorsing the competition was read aloud on the dancefloor, while Donnie Burns stood beside the host in a position of full support.

What U.S. Law Says:

Under Executive Orders 14024 & 13662, it is unlawful for U.S. persons to:
• Provide services to or benefit entities on the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List
• Facilitate transactions with sanctioned entities
• Support events sponsored by sanctioned parties, even indirectly

OFAC holds individuals and organizations to a strict liability standard — meaning intent is not required for a violation to occur.

🚨 Why This Matters:
• This is not a neutral dance event — it is state-aligned propaganda during a time of war, held in a country committing atrocities in Ukraine.
• These participants, by standing with FDSARR and engaging in its events, may have violated U.S. sanctions law and helped whitewash war crimes through cultural platforms.

We condemn the participation of these individuals and demand a full investigation into whether their actions have violated U.S. sanctions or other federal laws.

We urge the public and the dance community to contact authorities and demand accountability:

➡️ OFAC Enforcement: [email protected]
➡️ DHS/ICE (Immigration & Sanctions Enforcement): https://www.ice.gov/webform/hsi-tip-form
➡️ State Department (Sanctions Coordination): [email protected]
➡️ Congressional Oversight: Contact your representatives

06/09/2025

Serhii Nazarenko, 31, taught ballroom dancing for 11 years and was in sales relations before he became a machine gunner in the elite Omega group.

06/09/2025

06/09/2025

We stood together on the UCLA campus to speak out against the spread of Russian propaganda and to honor the truth about Ukraine’s fight for freedom.🎙️ Ukrainian activists, professors, students, and allies gathered to call for accountability, amplify Ukrainian voices, and demand that U.S. institutions stop giving platforms to pro-Kremlin narratives.🎬 The rally was in response to the appearance of Oliver Stone at the screening of Last Breath by Costa-Gavras, a film event that provided a platform for a figure who has repeatedly echoed Kremlin talking points and whitewashed Russia’s crimes in Ukraine. His presence in an academic setting raises serious concerns about the normalization of disinformation under the guise of dialogue or free speech.💙💛 Thank you to everyone who showed up, spoke up, and stood strong with us. Your presence matters.Слава Україні!Героям Слава! Thank you, Victoria Lisetsky. Video report by Channel 5 UA

05/30/2025

05/29/2025

It’s deeply concerning to see Oliver Stone featured at the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival given his well-documented history of openly supporting Vladimir Putin and consistently echoing Kremlin narratives—even after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Stone’s presence at a cultural event in a global city like Los Angeles risks normalizing propaganda and whitewashing the actions of a regime responsible for war crimes, forced deportations, and the destruction of a sovereign nation.

This isn’t about politics—it’s about ethics.
Cultural platforms must stand with truth and justice, not offer a stage to those who help amplify the voice of aggressors.

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone will sit down with Costa-Gavras on May 31 at UCLA’s James Bridges Theater in an extended conversation following the West Coast Premiere of the latest Gavras film, LAST BREATH.

Held with support from the UCLA Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture, and part of the LAGFF Costa-Gavras multi-event Tribute, we are honored to present this once-in-a-lifetime live conversation between Oliver Stone and Costa-Gavras that is not to be missed! Go to www.lagff.org to get tickets and passes.

Oliver Stone photo by Regine Mahaux; Costa-Gavras photo copyright by KG Productions.

05/24/2025

The Hypocrisy is Staggering.

The World Dance Council (WDC) continues to present itself as an ally to Ukraine, even handing out awards for “supporting Ukrainian children.” But beneath this façade lies one of the most brazen displays of moral inconsistency in the dance world.

In November 2024, WDC President Donnie Burns stood proudly in Moscow at the Kremlin Cup—a competition tied to the very regime waging a brutal, unprovoked war against Ukraine. Instead of using that international stage to denounce aggression or show solidarity with the victims, he lent legitimacy to the event, performing before an audience that included individuals sanctioned by the U.S. government.

At the same time, Mr. Burns frequently claims he personally donated $400,000 to Ukraine at the start of the war. Yet no documentation or verifiable record of this donation has ever been produced. The claim grows even more questionable when contrasted with a chilling real-world case: a Russian-American ballerina was detained in Russia for donating merely $52 to a Ukrainian charity.

How, then, does Mr. Burns—publicly declaring a massive donation and continuing to travel freely in and out of Russia—escape scrutiny?

Either there is a shocking double standard at play,
Or Mr. Burns is not what he claims to be.

Since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, WDC has lost all of its member organizations in Ukraine. It has contributed no meaningful support and continues to embrace Russia as a full member, while excluding Ukraine entirely. The narrative now being pushed—helping Ukrainian dancers while treating Russia as an equal member—bears an uncanny resemblance to Kremlin messaging: that peace will come when Ukrainians simply stop fighting.

This isn’t diplomacy.
It’s disinformation.
It’s complicity.

We call for transparency.
We demand accountability.
We will not dance around injustice.