The Kyiv City Ballet company has arrived in York and been welcomed to the city by the Town Crier and Lord Mayor.
The internationally acclaimed dancers arrived by train this evening before heading to a reception at the Mansion House.
They have been stranded in Paris since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.
Invited to York by the Theatre Royal chief executive Tom Bird, they will rehearse at the theatre tomorrow before a gala performance in front of a sold-out audience in the evening.
It will raise money for UNICEF.
The Mansion House had been dressed in the Ukrainian colours of yellow and blue, as well as the national flower the sunflower, by the York BID (Business Improvement District).
The ballet company was also welcomed with messages of support written by York people and tied to the railings.
The Lord Mayor, Cllr David Carr, received the Kyiv City Ballet, after York Central MP Rachael Maskell had met them at King’s Cross Station in London.
The ballet company was then treated to an evening cruise down the River Ouse, courtesy of City Cruises York.
York Town Crier Ben Fry spoke for everyone when he declared: “Our city is so proud to be your hosts, with messages of support in yellow and blue.”
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