Paris, FranceThe art of ballet comes from concentration, discipline, and consistency: the same movements, repeated at the bar and across the floor; a language of pliés, relevés, jetés that has remained stable for hundreds of years.

But the rehearsal of the Kiev City Ballet on March 16 was unusual in almost every way. The dancers practiced in a small room crowded with reporters taking photos and videos. There was too little space at the bar for all the dancers, so some used chairs or the side of a piano as they did their exercises. As they leaped across the floor in small groups, one dancer’s stride was too wide for the room, and he bounced out the door. Another fell awkwardly on