PUEBLO, Colo. (KKTV) – Ahead of their show over the weekend, a Ukrainian ballet group had to deal with a major set-back.

The Grand Kyiv Ballet had been passing through Colorado, performing shows and enjoying the mountains.

“Colorado is kind of a new adventure,” said Natan Lubow, a performer from Washington who joined the group. “The mountains are beautiful. The people seem very nice, that we’ve met.”

On Sunday, the group had been preparing to perform in Pueblo at the Memorial Hall after having a day off Saturday. They were set to perform the Nutcracker.

Before the performance, though, the group made a startling discovery.

“We came here for rehearsal,” said Lubow, “and that’s when we were into some of our own issues, with the [trailer] stolen. It was a big surprise for us.”

One of their two trailers was missing. The trailer in question was props and costumes for their production of the Snow Queen, as well as the belongings of many of the performers, including Lubow.

“That’s some serious aggravation, of course, because, you know, we’re constantly moving, and it’s hard to find time to do these things,” said Lubow, referring to the process of finding replacements for what was missing.

11 News reached out to Grand Kyiv Ballet’s founder and artistic director, Oleksandr Stoianov, after getting a tip about the missing trailer. He said that trailer had about $20,000 worth of equipment.

Soon after the phone call, Stoianov shared a Facebook post with 11 News. It was from someone claiming to have found a missing trailer. Just a little later, with help from police, he said they found the missing trailer.

But as they went through it, they found a lot of what was inside had been stolen.

This included clothing for dancers and pointe shoes, something the Grand Kyiv Ballet describes as essential in a ballerina’s performance.

Performer Marta Kalyandruk described this as a major setback.

“How much are pointe shoes?” Lubow asked Kalyandruk while speaking to 11 News.

“Like, $100,” Kalyandruk responded.

“$100 and even more,” Lubow said. He confirmed another performer lost three pairs of these shoes in the theft.

The group is working to move on after this loss, but that comes with tremendous pressure, they said.

“I’m burning that midnight oil, you know,” said Lubow. “That I’m rolling up my sleeves and getting getting some serious jobs done. I mean, we all are. Everyone’s pulling a lot of of weights.”

The group is performing as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues. Kalyandruk said things back in Ukraine are in turmoil, bringing extra pressure for groups like Grand Kyiv Ballet to bring positive representation from their country to the world.

“My friends, especially for working in national group Ukraine, at another theaters of Ukraine, they are really very tired about it every day,” she said.

“There’s a lot on our shoulders, lot of expectations. We want to fill those seats,” Lubow said.

Through ballet, they said, they can bring that positive representation for Ukrainian culture to people around the world.

“Yes, love will save the world, they say. Right?” Lubow said.

“Yes, exactly,” Kalyandruk confirmed.

More so, they both said they want to carve a name for themselves in the world of theater and ballet, saying it can be hard as an international group to become well-known.

They added how crippling it is to lose a trailer full of their things, but said the show will go on, nonetheless.

“It’s not a one man job, you know, it’s like, it takes all hands on deck, you know,” Lubow said. “It takes people talking about it. It takes efforts of of people wanting to convey their own expression of what they experienced in the arts to somebody else, like their neighbor or something like that.”

If you would like to donate to the group, you can do so here.

You can also donate to their cause for restoring the main ballet college of Ukraine, the Kyiv State Choreographic College, here.

You can find more on the group and their performances here.

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Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Sprinter Riley Mills has announced that she will be joining the tribe at William & Mary beginning in the fall of 2025.

“I chose W&M because of their strong family-like dynamic. I knew when I first got to campus that it was home. The team welcomed me with open arms and day one made me feel as though I was a part of the tribe. The coaching staff is a tight-knit and powerful group who make their swimmers better in and out of the water. The swimmers not only strive to be their best in the pool, but shoot for excellence in the classroom. Every single individual brings something valuable to the team and they are recognized. I cannot wait to call W&M my home, team, and family.”

Mills, hailing from Denver, Colorado is currently a senior at St. Mary’s Academy. Earlier this year, she helped St. Mary’s claim the Colorado High School Athletic Association (CHSAA)  Girls 3A State Championship title, contributing individual victories in both the 100 butterfly (55.70) and 50 freestyle (23.74) en route to scoring a perfect 48 points. At that competition, she also was a member of St. Mary’s winning 400 freestyle and 200 medley relays, playing a pivotal role in her school’s victory.

At the club level, Mills represents the University of Denver Hilltoppers, where she holds USA Swimming Futures cuts in both the SCY and LCM editions of the 100 butterfly and the 50 freestyle. A proud member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Mills was also selected to participate in USA Swimming’s 2023 National Diversity Select Camp alongside some of the top swimmers in the country.

Best Times (SCY):

• 100 butterfly: 55.70
• 50 freestyle: 23.69
• 100 freestyle: 52.74
• 200 freestyle: 1:54.69

With her times in the 100 butterfly and 50 freestyle, Mills will be right in the mix when she arrives at William & Mary. In the 100 butterfly, her best time of 55.70 would rank her 4th on the roster this season. The Tribe currently have one of the best 100 butterfliers across all of the Division I mid-majors in freshman Lindsay Juhlin, so Mills will have ample opportunity to train with top performers. In addition, Mills’ time in the 50 freestyle would rank her 3rd on the roster at William & Mary this season, making her a valuable addition to the 200 freestyle relay as well. For her third event, Mills could target the 100 freestyle, giving her even more relay potential in the 400 free and 400 medley down the road.

At the 2024 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championships, the Tribe women finished 3rd with a total of 1107 points. Despite loosing many top recruits when the team was cut and then later reinstated back in 2020, the program has bounced-back in recent years. At the 2024 Championships, junior Ellie Scherer won 3 events to lead the Tribe women, with the women’s 400 medley relay also taking home a gold medal.

With her commitment, Mills is set to join Sammy Randell, Abby Emrich, Haley Lehman, Charlie Scogna, and Sara Wells in William & Mary’s class of 2028.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected]. 

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Snow is falling in the mountains Monday morning and more is on the way, according to the National Weather Service.

The light snow falling Monday in Colorado’s mountains won’t lead to much new accumulation, NWS forecasters said. Still, gusty winds expected in higher elevations could cause blowing snow and white-out conditions for drivers on mountain passes.

NWS forecasters expect mountain ranges and passes above 10,000 feet to get between 2 and 6 inches of snow between Monday and Tuesday, according to a Hazardous Weather Outlook.

Light snow is possible in Denver on Tuesday before 11 a.m., but little to none of the flakes will stick in the metro area, forecasters said.

Less than an inch of accumulation is expected for the metro area, if any, according to NWS snow forecasts.

With or without snow, the cold front will bring frigid temperature highs in the mid-30s to the metro on Tuesday, forecasters said.

Denver will see multiple days of warm, sunny weather later this week, but a second snowstorm is expected to move into Colorado late Saturday or Sunday, forecasters said in the Hazardous Weather Outlook.

How much snow will fall ahead of Thanksgiving travel, how long it will last and whether it will stick to the mountains or spread across the Front Range and Eastern Plains remains unknown, forecasters said.

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