Glitter and Pride in Ukrainian Mettle

Well-known Ukrainian dancer Dmytro Dikusar, now serving as a soldier with his platoon on the front lines, performs during the filming of the Christmas TV show "Dancing with the Stars" in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 18.  Efrem Lukatsky, Associated Press

"We are filming this project in a country where there is a war. ... We have power cuts, we may have an air alert, it could be bombing."

"What do I feel? I feel a genuine desire to live a full life, no matter what happens."

Yevhen Halych, Ukrainian rock musician 

 

"Our dance number is about life. It’s about accepting love. Because in reality, when your body is wounded, it’s very difficult to love yourself."

"And allowing someone else to love you is even harder."

"[Injury did not end her life and now she wants to show] thousands of wounded boys and girls who are starting their lives over again [that it's not the end of theirs]."

Ruslana Danilkina, Ukrainian war veteran 

Volunteer soldier Ruslana Danilkina, 21, who lost her leg in Russia-Ukraine war, and choreographer Pavlo Semakin perform during the shooting of the Christmas episode of ''Dancing With the Stars'' in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025.   (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

 

Ukraine's own version of Dancing With the Stars has experienced a brief reprieve; the popular television show which has dazzled audiences in Ukraine where celebrities and professional dancers illuminate the stage and entertain a wildly appreciative audience was brought back into action for a special Christmas 2025 show featuring Ukrainian servicemen and servicewomen who had sustained injuries in the performance of their duties protecting their country from Russia's violent invasion. 

 

Amputees demonstrating their fealty to the professionalism of their performances and their embrace of life over dreadful wartime losses.

 

Ukrainian wartime heroes were brought to perform as cherished citizens of the land and the nation they represent, returned for this special performing episode. Symbolic of the nation's resilience under fire. In the Dancing With the Stars competition of 2006, a young actor -- Volodymyr Zelenskyy -- won the competition when the cherished show made its initial debut to Ukrainian audiences. Tantsi z zirkamy was a wildly popular hit back then, and so it remains to this day. 

 

Volunteer soldier Rusya Danylkina, 21, who lost her leg in Russia-Ukraine war, and choreographer Pavlo Semakin perform during the shooting of the Christmas TV show ''Dancing with the Stars'' in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

 

For this one-time special Christmas extravaganza, performances took place with prosthetic limbs demonstrating the dancers' strength, capable of overcoming dire adversity in the challenge of dancing with grace and finesse equalling the past when their acclaimed performances were perfect in every detail. And while the challenge in mounting such a gala was monumental in and of itself, with the performing cast dedicated to outdoing themselves as celebrated professions, there was the added concern that during wartime, there was no guarantee that the frequency of power outages would respect the show.

 

A pre-recording rehearsal saw dancers spin, leap and glide under the bright lights -- in some instances their movements seeming to flawlessly integrate prosthetic limbs with the choreography as seamlessly as they did when full-bodied. "It's about our resilience and it's about our future", stated creative producer Volodymyr Zavadiuk, emphasizing the vital message to be received by the entire observing world that the nation forges on, despite challenging times. 

 

The specialist clinic for the treatment and rehabilitation of war-wounded victims of Russia's criminal war -- the Superhumans center -- will directly realize all proceeds of ticket sales for the performance. Ruslana Danilkina who at age 18 lost one of her legs in combat in 2022, is now renowned in her country for the way she has dedicated herself to aiding injured troops in the transition of prosthesis adaptation, both a physical and psychological shock to their futures. She overcame her traumatic doubt, and now enables others to do the same by her example and tutelage.

 

Her performance spoke to the reclamation of her womanhood in the wake of the traumatic injury she suffered. Her courage and determination are now transmitted not only to those experiencing trauma similar to hers, to help them adjust their life expectations with the realization they can continue the  trajectory they planned on with basic modifications, but also the public at large -- that it is entirely possible to pick up shattered pieces and learn to carry on with pride and passion. 

 

Well-known Ukrainian artists perform during the filming of the Christmas TV show "Dancing with the Stars" in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 18. Efrem Lukatsky, Associated Press