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While Russia’s war in Ukraine rages on, a group of refugees in The Hague, Netherlands, have used their talents to help preserve Ukrainian culture and raise awareness for the dire situation in their country.

The United Ukrainian Ballet was formed soon after Russia invaded Ukraine just over one year ago. At the time, two Ukrainian dancers, Stanislav Olshanskyi and Alexis Tuttunique, were touring with Dutch prima ballerina Igone de Jongh and the pair sought refuge in The Hague with the help of fellow dancers, according to the non-profit ballet company’s website.

With aid from organizations like the Salvation Army and Senf Theaterpartners, a Dutch production company, provisions were made for a group of Ukrainian dancers and their families to find refuge and training in the Netherlands, Stefan Stolk, producer and managing director of operations of the United Ukrainian Ballet, told CNN.

Stolk, who works for Senf Theatepartners, said the company had connections to ballet companies in the Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Lviv, and were able to get in touch with dancers and let them know about the safe haven.

The ballet company and its partners, including mayor of The Hague, Jan van Zanen, were able to temporarily secure and renovate the former Hague Conservatory — which was set to be demolished — as a location to house refugees and allow them to continue ballet training.

Initially the conservatory housed only women dancers and their families, due to Ukraine restricting men ages 18 to 65 from traveling out of the country. By the middle of April 2022, they had about 35 to 40 women, Stolk told CNN.

At its peak, the conservatory housed more than 200 refugees, 70 to 75 of which were dancers, he added. Today, the company still is home to more than 60 dancers.

An outlet in a dark time: Stolk said many dancers came with a heavy weight on their hearts, but once they began training again, “you could see…