![Dancers stand on a brightly lit dance floor in costume, waiting for the music to start. Men are in dark suit-like attire, and women are in long dresses. An audience sits watching, rows deep around the edge of the floor.](https://coopersquared.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/J2_01412-300x200.jpg)
After decades of immigration from the former Soviet Union, the ballroom dance world in the United States was predominantly Slavic in origin. But in February 2022, everything changed, as Putin’s war in Ukraine divided dancers living in New York City. Complicated allegiances and an interwoven heritage have now put a tight-knit community on uncertain ground.