Colorado
‘Love will save the world’: Ukrainian ballet group carries on after trailer theft in southern Colorado
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.
Copyright 2024 KKTV. All rights reserved.
Former Colorado Buffaloes stars Sebastian Rancik and Bangot Dak announced their transfer portal decisions on Sunday with Rancik committing to Florida State and Dak committing to Vanderbilt, per On3’s Joe Tipton. They join former Buffs guard Isaiah Johnson (now at Texas) as the third former Colorado player to leave the Big 12 conference as Rancik opts for the ACC and Dak heads to the SEC.
The trio of Johnson, Rancik, and Dak make up three of Colorado’s four most productive players with rising senior guard Barrington Hargress, and the Buffs are now tasked with replacing such production with Hargress as the only returner.
Rancik’s season ended prematurely with an injury, but he averaged 12.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Buffs. Dak was Colorado’s leading rebounder with 6.5 boards per game, scoring 11.5 points per contest as well.
While each player has his respective reasons for transferring, the most expected ones are for seeking better NIL deals or more development on a better team in a better league. The Buffs finished 12th in the Big 12, and the allure of the SEC was too strong for the program to hold onto key talent like Johnson and Dak.
Still, Colorado coach Tad Boyle proved his ability to recruit and build up a solid core, one that saw its headliners of Johnson, Dak, and Rancik all depart in the portal. Can he do it again?
Colorado Buffaloes Roster Outlook
Boyle and the Buffaloes did retain Hargress as well as three freshmen guards: Jalin Holland, Ian Inman, and Josiah Sanders.
As a freshman, Holland averaged 4.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game as one of Colorado’s key pieces coming off of the bench. Meanwhile, Sanders appeared in 33 games as a constant presence in the Buffs backcourt, averaging 4.4 points and 1.7 assists per game.
Inman played the fewest minutes of the returning trio, but he flashed with a couple of double-digit scoring performances as a true freshman.
“When I think of those three together, I think of toughness. I think of the improvement they made over the course of the season and the togetherness they have. They’re great friends and have formed a bond during their freshman year. Their toughness, energy and work ethic, when you have those attributes to go along with talent, which they all have, you get a chance to have three really good sophomores next year that will take the next step,” Boyle said in a release announcing the return of the three freshmen.
With eight outgoing transfers to replace, the Buffaloes will certainly have a new look to them for the 2026-27 season.
Colorado has landed one transfer portal prospect so far in former North Dakota State foward Noah Feddersen. On the recruiting trail, Boyle and company are bringing in four-star forward Rider Portela as well as two prospects from the NBL in Australia: forward Goc Malual and guard Alex Dickeson.
The transfer portal for men’s college basketball closes on Tuesday, April 21, meaning players have to enter their names by then. Transfer athletes do not have to commit before the portal closes, though, so Colorado is expected to continue hosting prospects on visits while building out the roster.
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Colorado
Colorado faces LA in first round as Kings captain Anze Kopitar embarks on final Stanley Cup chase
DENVER — Anze Kopitar wrapped up the last regular season of his storied career. The Los Angeles Kings captain wants to prolong his final playoff run for as long as possible.
Kopitar, who announced in September his plans to retire, instantly becomes a postseason rallying point for the Kings. They have a tall task ahead of them against the Colorado Avalanche, the top team in the league, with the top goal scorer in Nathan MacKinnon and one of the best defensemen in the game in Cale Makar. Game 1 is Sunday at Ball Arena, where the Avalanche are 26-9-6.
“Playoffs,” said the 38-year-old Kopitar, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Kings. “I’m not going to say anything can happen, but we’ll go in and we’ll play hard and we’ll see where that takes us.”
This will be the third postseason series between the two teams and the first in 24 years. Colorado won in seven games during both the 2002 conference quarterfinals and the 2001 conference semifinals.
It’s been a record season for the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche as they amassed the most points (121) in franchise history. That broke the mark set by the 2022 team, which went on to win the Stanley Cup title. MacKinnon had a career-best 53 goals.
Goaltenders Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood shared the net this season and surrendered a league low in goals. They earned the William M. Jennings Trophy, which is presented to the goalies who have played a minimum of 25 games — Wedgewood suited up in 45 and Blackwood 39 — for the team with the fewest goals allowed. The other goaltender to win that honor for Colorado was Hall of Famer Patrick Roy (2001-02).
“We’re in a good spot,” Colorado forward Brock Nelson said. “The mentality of this group throughout the year, right from the start of training camp, (was) set on a mission to be the best team.”
Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon (29) celebrates the goal against Edmonton Oilers goalie Connor Ingram (39) during shoot-out NHL action, in Edmonton on Monday, April 13, 2026. Credit: AP/JASON FRANSON
Record against each other
The Kings went 0-3 against Colorado this season and were outscored by a 13-5 margin.
“You hear the hype. They have good players,” Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke said. “We’re a scrappy team. We keep it close with everybody. That can really frustrate them.”
Leading after two
The Avalanche were 41-0-0 when leading after two periods. They’re the first squad to have a lead after two periods on 40 or more instances and capture each one, according to team research.
“Even though we’ve been smart, we’ve been committed, we’ve been relentless at times, it’s going to have to go to a whole new level now,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “I have faith in our guys.”
Los Angeles Kings’ Anze Kopitar, who is retiring after this season, acknowledges the crowd after being recognized after losing to the Vancouver Canucks during overtime NHL hockey action in Vancouver, on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. Credit: AP/DARRYL DYCK
Remember the season opener?
Six grueling months ago, the Avalanche and Kings opened the season against each other. The Avalanche won 4-1 in Los Angeles behind a pair of goals from Martin Necas, who would go on to register his first 100-point season (38 goals, 62 assists).
The two teams join an exclusive club by becoming the fifth pair since 2015-16 to open the regular season and the playoffs against each other, according to NHL Stats. The other pairs to do so were Montreal and Toronto (2020-21); Colorado and St. Louis (2020-21); St. Louis and Winnipeg (2018-19); and Los Angeles and San Jose (2015-16).
Of those teams that won the season opener only San Jose went on to win the series. It’s a trend Kopitar and the Kings wouldn’t mind joining.
Kopitar and the playoffs
Kopitar helped the Kings to the Stanley Cup title in 2011-12 and 2013-14 along with goaltender Jonathan Quick, who now is with the New York Rangers and recently said he’s retiring. Kopitar has played in 103 postseason games with 27 goals and 62 assists.
“The intensity ramps up, everything ramps up,” Kopitar said of the postseason. “Every mistake, every little play, magnifies now.”
Familiar faces
Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper was in net for the Avalanche when they won the Stanley Cup in 2022. In addition, Kuemper and Drew Doughty were teammates with MacKinnon, Makar and Devon Toews when Canada won silver at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
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