ROME, March 17 - Celebrated Russian ballerina Svetlana Zakharova has been excluded from a dance gala beginning in Rome this month, organisers said, in the latest political dispute over the participation of Russian artists in cultural events in Italy.

A star of Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre, Zakharova has been a vocal supporter of President Vladimir Putin. She had been due to perform at the "Les Etoiles" gala in the Italian capital on March 20 to 21.