The Gentle Steadiness Children, a Ukrainian youth dance group, wowed viewers with a high-octane efficiency final month on the primary episode of ‘America’s Received Expertise: All-Stars.’ The dancers bobbed and wove by way of an upbeat arcade game-inspired routine, wearing costumes illuminated by LED lights and appearing as gamers inside a supersized online game.

Their efficiency impressed the judges sufficient to safe the group a coveted “golden buzzer,” quick monitoring them to the finals, which is able to air on Monday, Feb. 20.

The ultimate set of the act, a fortress topped with blue-and-yellow flags and the Ukrainian coat of arms — the now ubiquitous golden trident worn nearly every day by President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine — reminded viewers that the Gentle Steadiness Children had a message to ship.

“This efficiency is dedicated to all of the people who find themselves preventing for independence in our nation,” Maryna Zaitseva, 15, a dancer within the previously Kyiv-based troupe, stated in an interview. Ms. Zaitseva’s father is preventing within the warfare and was not capable of see his daughter carry out in Los Angeles, the place the present is filmed.

The crew has not been capable of rehearse collectively because the warfare started. Some dancers fled to different nations, like Mariia Honiukova, 17, one other dancer within the Gentle Steadiness Children who’s staying with family in Britain. The group tried to do some practices on Zoom, but it surely was not the identical.

Some members couldn’t make it to Los Angeles due to the warfare. A number of members of the Gentle Steadiness group, the Children’ grownup counterpart who’ve additionally appeared on the expertise present earlier than, stepped in to fill their spots. As soon as reunited, they solely had 5 days to organize for his or her first efficiency.

When the group got here to tape the present, “we needed to inform those who, it doesn’t matter what, mild at all times wins and we’re right here to combat for Ukraine,” stated Ms. Honiukova. “We need to inform the world what’s going on in our nation.”

Even choose Simon Cowell, the notoriously surly creator of this system, referred to as the quantity “sensible” and the group’s greatest up to now. The viewers stood cheering because the group members wept and embraced onstage, heaps of golden confetti swirling round them.

The All-Stars season is a by-product of the favored expertise present, with favourite acts from seasons previous returning to compete for the profitable title. Gentle Steadiness Children first took the present’s stage in 2019, earlier than Russia’s invasion, and the group completed as a top-ten finalist throughout Season 14.

Half dance troupe, half digital spectacle, the Gentle Steadiness Children swimsuit up in head-to-toe black costumes lined with LED lights and carry out on a pitch-black stage. Engineers program their fits to mild up in coordination with the music, choreography and the ever-changing set behind them.

The dancers stated it’s unattainable to totally detach from the warfare again residence, though it has given their efficiency new which means. The darkish stage now symbolizes Ukraine’s battle, and the bodily lights on their costumes have develop into a metaphor for resilience and even pleasure.

“While you learn the information, your coronary heart is breaking,” Ms. Zaitseva added, “since you see all these explosions and alarms and that your loved ones and family are there.”

However being collectively dancing once more, Ms. Honiukova stated, reminds her of “peaceable instances.”

“The important thing to peace is goodness and light-weight,” she stated, “and we need to carry this message around the globe.”