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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
10-year-old Ukrainian gymnast Oleksandra Pascal completed the international tour Dance of Freedom ("Dance of Freedom"). She performed in five megacities on five continents: Paris, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Nairobi, and Tokyo. The project was implemented by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation with the support of FC Shakhtar, the Foundation's website reported.
The Dance of Freedom tour started in Paris with Pascal meeting UNESCO officials.
"The next stop was New York. On legendary Times Square Sasha performed her dance before a multinational audience of thousands. This place, which brings together people from all parts of the world every day, became a platform to tell about Ukrainian children and the consequences of the war. The video of the young gymnast's performance spread instantly across social networks, watched by people in different countries of the world," the organizers noted.
In the United States Pascal met with UN representatives and the absolute world boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk, who noted her ability to inspire millions of people.
"When I saw this dance in Paris, the first thing I thought was: this girl has a very strong heart and character that help her move forward. I am sure you will do wonderfully. The main thing is not to stop and work," Usyk said.
In Rio de Janeiro, the Ukrainian gymnast visited the training base of the Brazilian national team in artistic gymnastics, where she was met by Olympic champion Rebecca Andrade.
"I am thrilled! I will remember this day forever. It’s great to be here and meet athletes of such a level. For me, it’s a push to continue training," Sasha shared after the meeting.
The performance in Brazil featured Brazilian media and Ukrainian diplomats.
"This is an incredibly important project. For many Brazilians, this is an opportunity to hear Ukraine's story not from the news, but directly from a person who experienced the consequences of the war," emphasized the first secretary of the Ukrainian Embassy in Brazil Georgiy Erman.
In Nairobi Oleksandra participated in a number of sports, educational and humanitarian events. The Ukrainian met with UN officials, diplomats, representatives of UNICEF, the Kenya Paralympic Committee, and local schoolchildren. Sasha's story, her strength of spirit and perseverance deeply impressed the meeting participants.
"Sasha's story is inspiring and proves that anything is possible. She is an example not only for children living with disabilities, but for all children who face difficulties in life," noted Benjamin Mayer, UNICEF representative in Kenya.
The UN Nairobi Office's executive director Dr. Zainab Hawa Bangura also expressed her admiration.
"When you see a young girl whose spirit has not broken despite everything that happened to her, it is very inspiring. I think this gives hope and inspiration to many children who are going through similar trials," she said.
The tour finished in Tokyo — a city that, according to Oleksandra, she had long dreamed of visiting.
"I have been to five continents, and it’s amazing. The most striking is how big our planet is and how different people live in the world. But everywhere we went, people knew about Ukraine, asked about the war, and really wanted to support us. I saw this in Paris, New York, Rio, Nairobi, and Tokyo. For me, this tour was not just a journey. My mission is to tell the world about the war in Ukraine through dance. My life changed because of the war; as a result of a Russian rocket strike I lost my leg, I underwent long medical treatment and recovery, but it did not break me. I showed the world that Ukrainians are strong and continue to fight for their dreams. I am very grateful personally to Rinat Akhmetov for making my dream come true," Pascal said.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Турне "Танець свободи" Олександри Паскаль відбулося на п'яти континентах". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Gordon.
