---
title: "Ilona Hvozdeva responds to accusations of promoting Russian content after dancing to Polina Glend's trend"
description: "Ukrainian choreographer Ilona Hvozdeva responded to a wave of criticism following her dance to a trend associated with Polina Glend. In a video message, she outlined the results of her fact-checking and refused to delete the clip."
date: 2026-11-03T13:04:25.031Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ilona-hvozdeva-response-criticism-dance-trend-polina-glend
tags: [ukraine, choreography, social-media, dance-trend, ilona-gvozdova, polina-glend, rbc-ukraine, styler]
author: "Inna Kinsheva"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Ilona Hvozdeva responds to accusations of promoting Russian content after dancing to Polina Glend's trend

![Ukrainian choreographer Ilona Hvozdeva in a light dress in the foreground surrounded by other dancers during a performance](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/03/ilona-gvozdeva-otvet-na-kritiku-tanc-trend-polina-glend/ilona-gvozdeva-otvet-na-kritiku-tanc-trend-polina-glend-1.webp)

## Key Points

- Ilona Hvozdeva posted a dance to White Horse, which the audience linked to a trend by Polina Glend, who worked in St. Petersburg
- The comments section featured accusations of promoting Russian content and calls to delete the video
- Hvozdeva recorded a video message outlining fact-checking results: Glend was born in Kazakhstan, moved to the US, and made no public statements regarding the war
- The choreographer acknowledged the presence of a Russian-language program and Russian card payments on Glend's website, but did not consider this sufficient grounds for accusations
- Hvozdeva did not delete the controversial video and called for fact-checking instead of public hate

Ukrainian choreographer Ilona Hvozdeva found herself at the center of a public controversy after publishing an Instagram reel featuring her dancing to the track White Horse. The video, which initially seemed unremarkable, quickly attracted audience attention due to the origin of the choreographic trend: users linked it to dancer Polina Glend, who lived and worked in St. Petersburg at the beginning of her career. The comments section was flooded with criticism accusing her of promoting Russian content, to which Hvozdeva responded with a detailed video message outlining the results of her own investigation.

### Reason for discussion: Viral trend and its origin

The reel that triggered the discussion shows Hvozdeva performing smooth, expressive movements in a runway style reminiscent of fashion shows traditionally filmed on the streets of Los Angeles and New York. The musical accompaniment was the track White Horse performed by the project Wonderland Avenue. According to the choreographer herself, the basis of the track was a song by the Danish duo Laid Back, released in 1983, which subsequently received a number of new versions and became actively used on social media. Hvozdeva stated that this musical foundation has nothing to do with the Russian cultural space.

### Audience reaction: From irritation to calls for self-censorship

Some subscribers noticed that the choreography performed by Hvozdeva is associated with Polina Glend, a dancer who lived in St. Petersburg for a long time and started her professional career there. Comments appeared such as "Are you out of your mind? This is a Russian woman's trend" and "It would be great not to spread rashi's trends." One subscriber left a detailed post suggesting that Hvozdeva, as a choreographer, create her own dance to the same track instead of repeating someone else's choreography, calling this approach "super dignified." Overall, the tone of the discussion boiled down to urging the Ukrainian artist to abandon content that critics believe has Russian origins.

### Video message: Hvozdeva conducts her own investigation

Instead of deleting the video or ignoring the criticism, Hvozdeva recorded a separate video message detailing exactly what she verified before expressing her position. The choreographer reported that Polina Glend was born in Kazakhstan, grew up in St. Petersburg, and by 2016 already ran her own dance studio in that city. Later, Glend moved to the United States, where she continued her professional activities. Hvozdeva emphasized that during her search, she found no public confirmation of Glend collaborating with Russian artists, nor any information about her performing or holding master classes in Russia after the start of the full-scale invasion.

### Nuances that Hvozdeva did not keep silent about

At the same time, the choreographer did not hide details that could be interpreted ambiguously. She acknowledged that Polina Glend's website features a Russian-language training program for choreographers, as well as information on payment via Russian bank cards. "Should this be considered cooperation with Russians? Everyone decides for themselves," Hvozdeva formulated, without forcing a definitive conclusion on viewers. In addition, she noted that she found no public statements by Glend in open sources—neither supporting nor opposing the war. In the opinion of the Ukrainian choreographer, the combination of these facts does not provide grounds to automatically attribute loyalty to Russia based on a single dance video.

### "Vigilance means checking first, not throwing stones"

Concluding her message, Hvozdeva drew attention to the paradox of the situation: if she herself, as a choreographer who regularly works with trends, did not know the authorship of this specific dance, why did viewers identify it so promptly and confidently as "Russian"? The choreographer did not deny the importance of vigilance under wartime conditions, but insisted that it should manifest in fact-checking rather than public hate and accusations of treason. "Vigilance during the war is, of course, the right thing. But vigilance means checking first, rather than pelting a person with images, treasons, and hate," Hvozdeva summarized. The video with her explanation was not deleted from the network, which essentially served as an additional signal: the choreographer does not intend to apologize for what she believes is not a violation.

### Context: Trends, boundaries, and public responsibility

The situation with Hvozdeva illustrates a broader conflict that regularly arises in the Ukrainian media space: where does the line lie between a neutral cultural product and content that is automatically labeled as "Russian" during wartime. Social media dance trends are transnational by nature: choreography migrates between platforms, transfers to new tracks, and is performed by artists from various countries. In this case, the musical foundation is Danish, the choreographic style is runway, and the trend creator is a Kazakh woman who lived in Russia before moving to the US. Nevertheless, the geography of Glend's early career was enough for part of the audience to ascribe a "Russian" origin to the entire complex. Hvozdeva, in turn, tried to shift the focus from emotional reaction to factual verification, inviting viewers to independently determine what is permissible for them and what is not.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Илона Гвоздева ответила на хейт из-за танца под тренд россиянки (видео)](https://styler.rbc.ua/ukr/people/ilona-gvozdova-vidpovila-heyt-cherez-tanets-1793706468.html) - Primary source. Contains the full text of Hvozdeva's video message, quotes from comments, biographical data on Polina Glend, information about the track White Horse and the Danish duo Laid Back.
- [Илона Гвоздева попала в скандал из-за "тренда россиянки", но удалять видео не захотела: как она ...](https://www.obozrevatel.com/section-shou-oboz/news-ilona-hvozdova-potrapyla-v-skandal-cherez-trend-rosiyanky-ale-video-vydalyaty-ne-zakhotila-yak-vona-tse-poyasnyla-02-11-2026.html) - Secondary source dated November 2, 2026. Confirms the fact of the scandal, the title of the track (White Horse, Wonderland Avenue project), and the fact that Hvozdeva did not delete the video.

## FAQ

### What exactly happened to Ilona Hvozdeva?

Hvozdeva posted an Instagram video dancing to White Horse. Part of the audience linked the choreography to Polina Glend, who worked in St. Petersburg at the beginning of her career, and accused the choreographer of promoting Russian content.

### Who is Polina Glend and why is she associated with Russia?

Polina Glend was born in Kazakhstan and grew up in St. Petersburg, where she opened her own dance studio by 2016. She later moved to the US. Hvozdeva noted in her address that no public statements by Glend regarding the war were found, nor were there any confirmations of her performing in Russia after the full-scale invasion began.

### Did Hvozdeva delete the controversial video?

No. Hvozdeva did not delete the clip and instead recorded a separate video message explaining her position and the results of her fact-checking.

### What is the musical foundation of White Horse?

According to Hvozdeva, the track is based on a song by the Danish duo Laid Back, released in 1983. Later, the composition received new versions, including one by the project Wonderland Avenue, to which Hvozdeva performed her dance.

### What is Hvozdeva's ultimate stance?

Hvozdeva stated that wartime vigilance is important but should be expressed through fact-checking rather than public hate. She does not consider a single dance video sufficient grounds for accusations of supporting Russia.