A traditional Victory Waltz dance flashmob, dedicated to the 81st Anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, has been held on the square in front of the main academic building of South Ural State University. This dance has become a visualization of the story about tenderness, hope and profound gratefulness to our Heroes.
In 2026, this event is held for the 12th time and continues a good and kind-hearted tradition started by SUSU back in 2015. Today, more than 250 participants have been swirling in this soft waltz: representatives of schools, vocational education institutions, higher education institutes and universities of the Chelyabinsk Region, as well as other city’s residents. As the tradition goes, students of the SUSU Military Training Centre have also taken part in this event.
Victory Waltz is a symbol of the unity of generations and the heroic deeds of the participants of the Great Patriotic War. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren of our victors dance this festive waltz as a token of the immortal memory and of gratefulness to the courage and valiance.
The event’s main concept are the ideas of love, peace, tenderness, freedom and unity. That is why the performance is structured around the constant interaction between the participants: common moves, circling around and switching partners symbolize the bridge between generations, solidarity and support to each other.
“We decided to choose a traditional composition for this performance, a very deep and kind-hearted one. This year, more than 250 people participate in our event, and these are absolutely different people: school pupils, and students of vocational education institutions and universities of the Chelyabinsk Region. SUSU holds the Victory Waltz for the 12th time now, and it is a very important event for us. This is our way to express our deep gratitude to the Heroes of the Great Patriotic War,” noted head of the 2026 Victory Waltz event Anna Brazhko.
A very touching moment illuminated this event: during the dance one of the participants made a proposal to his partner right in the middle of the square. The girl said “Yes” and the event’s guests burst in applause. This heartfelt and touching moment became a symbol of love, fidelity and hope – those values that unite generations.
“I’d thought it would be lovely to propose during the Victory Waltz, and I feel happy that it went just the way I’d planned it,” explained Iliia Ziuzin.
In her turn, the bride, Alena Karaicheva, shared that she did not expect such a surprise:
“For me it was entirely unexpected, but it was very touching and exciting. This is our first Victory Waltz, and our participation in it has become a true symbol of unity and mutual understanding – we have become even closer and started to really feel each other.”
Guests and participants immersed themselves in an incredible atmosphere of love and earnestness. This big-scale performance touched everyone’s feelings. Music of the war years, dancing, flowers, smiles and, what is most important – words of gratitude – were a gift to the veterans thanks to the joint efforts of the dancers.
“I’ve been doing ball-room dancing for many years now, and I like waltz very much. That’s why together with my partner we decided to participate in such a significant event. It has been a first Victory Waltz for us, and it has left us with very touching and warm impressions. We are happy that we’ve had a chance to become part of such an important festivity and together with other people express our respect and gratitude to the generation of victors. We felt a bit nervous, of course, but I think, it all was just wonderful,” shared her impressions Anna Tashlanova.
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To close the event, the veterans, students, teaching staff and guests of the event waltzed around to the sounds of songs of the war time. And after the event, the participants and guests could enjoy a festive concert dedicated to the Victory Day, a “St. George Ribbon” campaign, and everyone’s favourite tradition – treating themselves at a field kitchen trailer.
