GREENSBORO, N.C. — Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Greensboro is sponsoring 15 Ukrainian ballroom dancers fleeing the current Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The dancers are being sponsored through the Uniting for Ukraine program, a federal government program that provides a pathway for Ukrainian citizens to come to the United States for two years. The studio is providing housing and employment for the dancers.
"We are happy to be here," said Dmytro Bondarenko, one of the dancers being sponsored by the studio.
Dmytro, his wife Olena, and their three young children all arrived in North Carolina in June.
"We (tried) to leave our country after two weeks of the beginning (of the war)," Dmytro said. "We (were) in Poland (for) like three months and we (were) waiting for (documents). After this, after three months, we (flew) to London and then to (North Carolina)."
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The Bondarenko's had to leave behind other family members and friends in their hometown of Kharkiv, Ukraine.
"We have family, we have mother, father sisters and maybe we are lucky to have (this) opportunity to be here because we have three children," Dmytro said.
They said it's difficult to watch what is going on in their country from afar.
"Every day our family (sees) war," Olena said. "Every day people die. Every day kids die."
Another group of dancers is set to arrive in Greensboro this week. Officials with the dance studio said ballroom dancing is part of Ukrainian culture with children starting to learn dance at a young age.
"Everyone who we have coming to the studio to Greensboro are people who are currently teaching or (were) teaching before the war started in Ukraine and some of them have their own studios," said Dasha Chube, the manager of the studio in Greensboro. "(The couple) who’s coming next week, they’re leaving a big business, a big company behind and coming here to be able to continue dancing professionally and continue just being able to support their family."
Chube was reunited with her own family through the Uniting for Ukraine program and said it's something all Ukrainians in the U.S. have been keeping a close eye on.
"They need help and we wish we could do more," said Dasha Chube, the manager of the dance studio. "We wish we could bring more people and we still may try to do it in the future."