Even during the height of the Cold War with its threat of Nuclear Armageddon, the cultural exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union never ground to a halt. But in the last few years, because of the "boomerang effect of a rancorous legal battle between the Russian government and the Chassidic Jewish group, Chabad" (LA Times 1/17/13), Russia imposed a ban on all art loans to American museums. This legal case is based on Chabad's decades-long effort to recover religious books and manuscripts that the Russians expropriated after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917.

The Moscow Classical Ballet company, which was founded by Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasilyov, will arrive in Israel in February 2015 with "Spartacus," a ballet by Aram Khachaturian.

A milestone event in the history of the Internet took place last week and Canada’s National Ballet was right there in the thick of it. Five major international troupes digitally opened their doors to the world in a first-of-its-kind webcast called World Ballet Day.

"We know our performances are a fantastic way for people to demonstrate their connections to lead politicians in both countries and to forge relationships at a cultural diplomacy level. We have a five-year vision and we would like some people who want to be part of that journey," she says. Tours are expensive for the company that, with a turnover of A$50 million (about HK$361 million), receives just 16.3 per cent of its funding from state and federal governments. 

The Arts and Healing Network awarded Ballet Theatre Company’s Artistic Director and General Manager Roman Baca for his efforts creating war related dance pieces, combining military veterans with dance, and seeking artistic and cultural diplomacy in Iraq. Baca, a U.S. Marine and Iraq War veteran, cofounded the Exit12 Dance Company in 2007 upon his return from Iraq and subsequently embarked on a soothing journey to help fellow veterans and to visualize inspiring conversations regarding worldly differences.

Cuba takes special measures to hold on to one of its most precious cultural resources: ballet dancers. To discourage defections, authorities sometimes keep talented performers from touring or warn younger artists that finding a ballet job will be tough in an unappreciative capitalist world.

Dancers perform the ballet "Concerto de Bach" at the Saint Peter's Theater in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Oct. 12, 2013. A ballet was staged as the opening show of the China Cultural Month here on Saturday. More than 150 artists from China will present the local audience with a series of cultural feasts such as ballet, acrobatics and art exhibitions from October to December, 2013 in Brazil.