Podcast appearances and mentions of Olga Smirnova

According to the head of the British military, the Russian government spends 40% of its budget on its war machine. But is it true? With the help of Professor Bettina Renz from Nottingham University and Dr Richard Connolly from The Royal United Services Institute, Olga Smirnova investigates the figure. Presenter: Tom Colls Producer: Olga Smirnova Production Co-ordinator Katie Morrison Series Producer: Tom Colls Sound Mix: Graham Puddifoot Editor: Richard VadonImage: Russian Military Perform Victory Day Parade Night Rehearsal in Moscow Credit: (Photo by Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images)

Why Dance Matters celebrates its 50th episode in conversation with one of the world's great ballerinas. Olga Smirnova's Giselle with Dutch National Ballet will be broadcast to international cinemas on 21 January. She joined the company after making headlines in 2022 with a courageous, life-changing decision to leave Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In a wide-ranging and thoughtful conversation, she discusses stage fright (she never feels it), the challenges of being a ballerina in the age of smartphones, her momentous decision to leave Russia and her profound sense of why dance matters.As a young girl, Olga Smirnova had no dream of becoming a ballerina. However, she did go to dance classes, and was then accepted into the famous Vaganova Ballet Academy in St Petersburg. On completing her training in 2011, she joined the Bolshoi Ballet, starting immediately as a soloist and shining not only in the classics, but also in new and modern works. In 2016, she was promoted to prima ballerina, but when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Olga – strongly opposed to the invasion – decided to leave her homeland, making the transition to Dutch National Ballet.Find out more about the work of the RADFollow the RAD on social media and join the conversation with host David Jays:Instagram @royalacademyofdanceFacebook @RoyalAcademyofDanceTwitter @RADheadquartersYouTube / royalacademydanceDavid Jays @mrdavidjaysSign up to our mailing list to keep in touch!RAD is an independent educational charity and does not receive regular government funding. Every penny we make goes back into the work we do. You can support us by either naming a seat as part of our Name A Seat Campaign or making a donation.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As civil war raged in Russia, on 17 July 1918, the imprisoned royal family were told they were to be taken to a place of refuge.But the move was a trick and half an hour later Tsar Nicholas II, his wife and his children lay dead, gunned down and bayonetted.In 2018, his great niece Olga Romanov told Olga Smirnova about that night, and the family's reburial 80 years later.(Photo: The room where the Romanovs were murdered. Credit: Getty Images)

Hello Everyone! I am so excited for this episode as we are speaking with the very kind and humble Chloë who has had contract after contract offered to her. You may think she's very lucky but it's all down to her hard work!. Her go with the flow attitude and strong will, I'm convinced has been the catalyst to her success in this industry! We resonated a lot talking about Russia and Mariinsky and how hard it was for her to leave when covid happened finding new ground now In Amsterdam sharing a dressing room with legend and former school mate of mine Olga Smirnova. Let's meet Chloë! Follow on Social media @balletwithisabella Instagram | Youtube | Facebook www.balletwithisabella.com Elite Classes and Courses from Beg - Pro! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/a-dancers-mindset/message

Laika the Russian stray was the first dog to orbit the Earth. She was sent into space on a flight in 1957 which had been timed to mark the anniversary of the Russian Revolution. She died after orbiting Earth four times. Professor Victor Yazdovsky's father was in charge of the dogs in the Russian space programme. In 2017, Professor Yazdovsky spoke to Olga Smirnova about playing with Laika, before her flight, when he was just nine-years-old. (Photo: Laika. Credit: Getty Images.)

Author Sofi Oksanen shares with Olga Smirnova how she begins a new novel. Olga witnesses how Sofi painstakingly gathers details for the lives of her characters, from choosing the colour of their nail varnish, to the perfumes they prefer, and the difference in the smell of Estonian and Soviet women. Olga visits Sofi's writing studio in a bohemian quarter of Helsinki where they both listen to the silence which is so important for Sofi to write. We discover why sometimes kneading dough and chopping carrots or onions can help the process. Having an Estonian heritage, Sofi is fascinated by Soviet history. The theme of war in Ukraine is never far from Olga's conversations with Sofi as they discuss how it impacts upon the writing process.

Olga Smirnova danste als prima ballerina bij het Bolsjojballet – het hoogst haalbare in de balletwereld. Smirnova sprak zich uit tegen de Russische inval van Oekraïne en besloot het land te verlaten. Nu danst ze alweer een paar maanden bij Het Nationale Ballet in Amsterdam. Op het eerste oog een wonderlijke keuze, maar in de geschiedenis van het gezelschap is het zeker niet de eerste keer is dat Het Nationale Ballet een veilige haven is voor dansers. Lou-Anna Druyvesteyn leest voor. Audio door Hans Poel

Trionfo elettorale per Viktor Orbán Olga Smirnova, ex prima ballerina del Bolshoi, al San Carlo di Napoli  Sceneggiatori di una distopia Cambiare lavoro, per cambiare vita La Biennale di Venezia guarda oltre l'antropocentrismo 

De Hermitage in Amsterdam: dicht. Het Filharmonisch Orkest in Rotterdam: verbreekt de banden met dirigent Gergiev. De Philharmonie in Haarlem annuleert een gepland festival rond Sjostakovitsj en Tsjaikovski. Tegelijkertijd klonk uit het Concertgebouw wél de Twaalfde Symfonie van Sjostakovitsj. En gaat de Russische prima ballerina Olga Smirnova, aangesloten bij het geweldige Bolsjoj Ballet in Moskou, nu per direct aan de slag bij het Nationale Ballet in Amsterdam. Cultuurhistoricus Sjeng Scheijen vindt hier wel wat van. Met z'n allen zijn we op zoek naar een nieuwe balans in de kunst- en cultuurwereld. Hoe houden we het contact met Rusland, terwijl het politieke beleid nu eigenlijk is om juist op alle terreinen snoeihard op te treden? Waarmee we ook de vraag opwerpen: kunnen we niet beter spreken van een cancel culture relatie? Want gaan we niet te hard met sanctioneren als ook musea en muziek en dans lijden onder een oorlog? Dit bespreken we met Sjeng Scheijen, schrijver van enkele ook in Rusland uitgebrachte meesterwerken (denk aan de biografie Sergej Diaghilev en het bekroonde De avant-gardisten) , onderzoeker, en gastcurator van het Hermitage Amsterdam. Waar hij net een tentoonstelling over die beroemde en beruchte Russisch Avant-Garde aan het grote publiek had willen tonen.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://thedanceedit.com/transcript-episode-107Subscribe to The Dance Edit Extra: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dance-edit-extra/id1579075769Links referenced in/relevant to episode 107:-NBCUniversal story on Ukrainian dancers taking up arms: https://www.yahoo.com/now/ukrainian-ballerinas-leave-stage-front-233926943.html-Dutch National Ballet press release about Olga Smirnova and Victor Caixeta joining the company: https://www.operaballet.nl/en/news/prima-ballerina-olga-smirnova-and-soloist-victor-caixeta-make-move-dutch-national-ballet-New York Times story on the Juilliard power struggle: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/14/arts/music/juilliard-damian-woetzel-bruce-kovner.html-The Independent coverage of the TikTok "dance cult": https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tiktok-dance-cult-miranda-derrick-b2033833.html-Dance Data Project report on dance festivals: https://www.dancedataproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2021-U.S.-Dance-Festivals-Report.pdf-Dance Magazine feature on nonbinary dance artists: https://www.dancemagazine.com/nonbinary-dancers/-Guardian interview with William Forsythe: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/mar/13/william-forsythe-i-want-people-to-look-forward-to-ballet-not-endure-it-New York Times article on COVID policies at arts institutions: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/09/arts/coronavirus-theaters-masks-rules.html

The Lego brick, one of the world's most popular toys, was invented in the small Danish town of Billund in 1958. Created by Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, the plastic bricks can be combined in countless combinations and have sold in the billions. Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, the inventor's son, was ten at the time. He used to play in the company workshop and helped test early Lego models. Olga Smirnova spoke to Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen for Witness History. PHOTO: A boy playing in a Lego display in 1981 (Getty Images)

In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had his day in court at the start of his corruption trial this week. He denies charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The trial could last months or even years. Israelis are wondering what it means for their future, as Tom Bateman reports from Jerusalem. In Zimbabwe, and in many other African countries, the numbers of confirmed Covid-19 cases are still low, not least due to swift lockdowns. But the coronavirus is not the worst threat the population faces, says Charlotte Ashton in Harare. Apart from TB, malaria and HIV, there's now hunger because the lockdown makes it hard to earn a living. Sweden did not opt for a lockdown, deciding instead to trust residents to make their own judgements about social distancing. Shops, pubs and restaurants have been allowed to remain open, but as Maddy Savage is finding, it's quite a minefield to negotiate all the dilemmas that throws up. Capoeira, a martial art with elements of dance and acrobatics, originated among enslaved Africans in Brazil. Now it has travelled eleven time zones east to Siberia's lake Baikal region in Russia. It means a lot more than exercise to the young locals there, as Olga Smirnova has been finding out. But how have they done under lockdown? Malta is home to the second oldest stone buildings in the world, 5000-year old temples. The people who built them are something of a mystery but new research on elongated skulls from that time may be about to lay to rest some of the wilder theories about their origins – or are they, asks Juliet Rix. Presenter: Kate Adie Producer: Arlene Gregorius

The award-winning Belarus Free Theatre was founded 15 years ago to create drama around issues of human rights and creative freedom in a country which has been called Europe’s last surviving dictatorship. It creates provocative physical shows attended by audiences in secret locations around Minsk and has achieved international recognition and support. BFT’s founding artistic directors Natalia Kaliada and Nicolai Khalezin cannot rehearse the actors face to face because they are now political refugees living in the United Kingdom. So, for the past nine years they have been using a Skype line to connect with the performers hundreds of miles away. Natalia and Nicolai have been rehearsing the actors in a new play called Dogs of Europe, based on the novel by the contemporary Belarusian author Alhierd Bacharevic, which depicts life in a dystopian super state where individual freedoms are taken away. As well as performing in Minsk, the actors were also set to come to London and perform at the Barbican Theatre. But Covid-19 has put an end to that plan. So what will the company do instead? The BBC’s Olga Smirnova follows Natalia and Nikolai during the process of rehearsal and performance and hears from them and the actors about the techniques of directing from a distance. She also talks to the British actor and writer Stephen Fry who is taking part in BFT’s newest venture.

The UK’s chief Brexit negotiator is hardly a household name and until very recently this former diplomat had no public profile at all. Now David Frost has arguably one of the most challenging jobs in British politics. How has he made it to the top? Presenter: Edward Stourton Producers: Eleanor Biggs, Kate Lamble, Olga Smirnova, and Phoebe Keane

Olga Smirnova and Inna Kassatkina came to the U.S. from Russia in the early ’90s. Together, they co-founded Global Language Solutions, a translation firm providing services in 100+ languages to multinational organizations in life sciences. Driving revenues to over $20 million per year, they sold GLS to Welocalize, Inc. in 2016.

The Russian stray was the first dog to orbit the Earth. She was sent into space in November 1957 in a flight which had been timed to mark the anniversary of the Russian Revolution. She died after orbiting the Earth four times. Professor Victor Yazdovsky's father was in charge of the dogs in the Russian space programme. Professor Yazdovsky tells Olga Smirnova about playing with Laika, before her flight, when he was just nine years old. Photo: Laika. Credit: Keystone/Hulton/Getty Images.

The Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his wife, four daughters and young son, were shot in the cellar of a house in Yekaterinburg on 17 July 1918. Olga Romanoff is his great niece. She spoke to Olga Smirnova about his death and eventual reburial in St Petersburg. (Photo: Nicholas II, Tsar and his family. From left to right - Olga, Maria,Tsar Nicholas II,Tsarina Alexandra, Anastasia, Tsarevitch Alexei and Tatiana. Credit: Press Association

The community of Anatevka near the Ukrainian capital Kiev has been created to especially welcome Jews from war-torn Eastern Ukraine. Construction started in 2015, and it was named after a hometown of Tevye the Dairyman, from the musical "Fiddler on the Roof". There is no requirement for the refugees who settle in Anatevka to be observant Jews. Many of them had no chance to practice their religion in what was then the atheistic Soviet Union. Olga Smirnova follows them as they observe Jewish religious festivities, attend the Torah lessons and prepare for the opening of the new religious school for boys. Olga speaks to the new arrivals and those who have already settled in Anatevka. She talks to the founder Rabbi Moshe Azman about the aims of the project and its benefits. What are the particular difficulties about building a new community? Olga explores how this community interact with other Ukrainian villages nearby. As we spend time with this unique project for a permanent Jewish home for those fleeing war, we hear stories of the refugees and learn about the military actions in Eastern Ukraine that forced many to leave their homes. Photo: Building the Cheder Credit: BBC

Independent Azerbaijan changed its alphabet from Russian Cyrillic script to the Latin alphabet in 2001. The new letters symbolised a break with the country's Soviet past, but presented a difficult challenge for publishers and journalists and schoolchildren. Olga Smirnova has been talking to Elchin Shixli and Shahbaz Xuduoglu.Photo: Staff members of Azerbaijan's Ustarat newspaper prepare copy July 31, 2001 in their Baku headquarters for the following day, August 1, when all newspapers, according to government decree, had to switch the alphabet of their Azeri text from Cyrillic to Latin. (Photo by Yola Monakhov/Getty Images)

During the Apartheid period, the South African government began developing a secret nuclear programme, culminating in the construction of six nuclear bombs. Anti-Apartheid campaigner, Renfrew Christie, first became aware of this when he was conscripted into the South African Army. He later gained access to details of the nuclear programme and passed them onto the military wing of the African National Congress, ANC. In 1979 Christie was arrested and later tortured. He spoke to Olga Smirnova about his hunt for South Africa's nuclear weapons and his ordeal in jail. Photo: A restricted area sign close to the Koeberg nuclear power station, South Africa (Getty Images)

The Lego brick, one of the world's most popular toys, was invented in the small Danish town of Billund in 1958. Created by Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, the plastic bricks can be combined in countless combinations and have sold in the billions. Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, the inventor's son, was ten at the time. He used to play in the company workshop and helped test early Lego models. Olga Smirnova spoke to Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen for Witness.(Image: Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen with a Lego ship. Credit: Kristiansen family archive)

Since the time of the Tsars intellectuals were banished to the vast inhospitable lands of Siberia. And so was created an astonishing pool of creativity and talent. Generations of such people have been perfecting their skills here ever since. These days the reputation of Russian hackers has reached every corner of the world and Siberian hackers are the best. Are these hackers likely to work for the Russian state? Or is Silicon valley a place to aspire to? Olga Smirnova finds out how these talented young people see their future.

Australian scientists were central to the development of wifi. John O'Sullivan and David Skellern were among the group that gave us the ability to connect to the internet on-the-go. They've been speaking to Olga Smirnova about their breakthrough. Photo: WiFi prototype Photo credit: Richard Keaney / Radiata

Australian scientists were central to the development of wifi. John O'Sullivan and David Skellern were among the group that gave us the ability to connect to the internet on-the-go. They've been speaking to Olga Smirnova about their breakthrough. Photo: WiFi prototype Photo credit: Richard Keaney / Radiata

In December 1917 Finland proclaimed its independence. For many centuries it had been controlled by its powerful neighbours, Sweden and Russia. As World War One raged across Europe and Russia was embroiled in its own revolution, Finnish intellectuals took the opportunity to push for their own state. But many ordinary people were more concerned with dire food shortages and the chaos caused by conflict. Olga Smirnova hears memories of that time. (Photo: 1917: A Communist base burning during the Finnish civil war. Credit: Getty Images) More personal stories from history of independent Finland can be found at the Finnish Institute in London http://www.taleoftwocountries.fi/frontpage/

In December 1917 Finland proclaimed its independence. For many centuries it had been controlled by its powerful neighbours, Sweden and Russia. As World War One raged across Europe and Russia was embroiled in its own revolution, Finnish intellectuals took the opportunity to push for their own state. But many ordinary people were more concerned with dire food shortages and the chaos caused by conflict. Olga Smirnova hears memories of that time.(Photo: 1917: A Communist base burning during the Finnish civil war. Credit: Getty Images)More personal stories from history of independent Finland can be found at the Finnish Institute in London http://www.taleoftwocountries.fi/frontpage/

Thousands of scientists moved to deepest Siberia to dedicate their lives to research. The Soviet authorities began building the city in 1957. Academics were enticed there by the promise of housing and interesting work. Olga Smirnova spoke to Dr Victor Varand who made his life in Akademgorodok, or Academic City. Photo: Scientists at work in Academic City. Credit: Victor Varand.

Thousands of scientists moved to deepest Siberia to dedicate their lives to research. The Soviet authorities began building the city in 1957. Academics were enticed there by the promise of housing and interesting work. Olga Smirnova spoke to Dr Victor Varand who made his life in Akademgorodok, or Academic City.Photo: Scientists at work in Academic City. Credit: Victor Varand.

The Russian street dog was the first living creature to orbit the Earth. She was sent into space in November 1957. She died after orbiting the Earth four times. Professor Victor Yazdovsky was nine years old when his father brought Laika back from the laboratory to play with him. He has been speaking to Olga Smirnova for Witness. Photo: Laika the dog. Credit: Keystone/Hulton/Getty Images.

The Russian street dog was the first living creature to orbit the Earth. She was sent into space in November 1957. She died after orbiting the Earth four times. Professor Victor Yazdovsky was nine years old when his father brought Laika back from the laboratory to play with him. He has been speaking to Olga Smirnova for Witness.Photo: Laika the dog. Credit: Keystone/Hulton/Getty Images.

In October 2002 Chechen rebels seized a packed theatre in central Moscow and took hundreds of people hostage. They demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya. Olga Smirnova has been hearing the story of Svetlana Gubareva who was in the theatre that night with her fiancé and daughter.Photo: Images of some of the victims amid candles and floral tributes (Denis Sinyakov/Getty Images)

In October 2002 Chechen rebels seized a packed theatre in central Moscow and took hundreds of people hostage. They demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya. Olga Smirnova has been hearing the story of Svetlana Gubareva who was in the theatre that night with her fiancé and daughter. Photo: Images of some of the victims amid candles and floral tributes (Denis Sinyakov/Getty Images)

The schism in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is dividing communities, friends, even families, as they are forced to choose between Kiev or Moscow as their spiritual guide. After Russia's annexation of Crimea and conflict continuing in the east of the country, Ukraine's fraught relationship with Russia continues to cause controversy. In a country where the majority of the population consider themselves Orthodox Christians, Olga Smirnova investigates how Ukrainian's are negotiating the rift in Ukraine's religious landscape. Miles away from the conflict in east, Olga discovers a dispute in the village of Pticha, where the village's only church has become a symbol of the major spilt in the Orthodox church being experienced across Ukraine. Followers of the Church of Moscow have locked themselves inside the church forcing those affiliated with the Kiev Patriarchate to worship outside in the church grounds. The villagers are at war; husbands and wives are divided, as are parents and children. In Kherson, a town in southern Ukraine, Olga meets Priest Smitriev who on behalf of his congregation switched their alliance from following the Moscow Patriarchate to Kiev. Whilst Fr. Smitriev denounces his former church as a "participant in the murders of Ukrainian citizens" many of his parishioners refute their priest's decision. Faith on the Ukrainian Fault Line was presented and produced by Olga Smirnova

Born and raised in Russia, Inna attended college in the U.S and loved it so much she decided to stay. With a love for linguistics and fluent in several languages, Inna met her co-founder, Olga Smirnova, and the two decided to start their own translation company. After initially starting out translating English and Russian, they expanded and now translate more than 100 languages. In today’s podcast, Inna shares her story and business lessons learned as a woman who leaves her home country, comes to the U.S., and lives the American dream.