Choreography: Adaptation from Anatoly Kryvokhyzha by Zoia Hraur Korsun
Music: Victor Guzeyev
A line dance in which the artists, true to ancient tradition, welcome the audience with bread and salt symbolizing friendship.
Welcoming Dance (1990)*
Choreography: Alexander Hraur
Music: Roman Cahute
A traditional opening dance which presents various regions of Ukraine and, true to ancient custom, welcomes the audience with symbols of friendship - bread and salt.
Povzunets
Choreography: Pavel Virsky
Music: Eugene Zwodesky
A humorous Cossack dance requiring strength and endurance, since one of the rules of the game is to remain in a squatting position. Abandoning the squatting position means elimination from the dance.
The Puppets
Choreography: Pavel Virsky
Music: Roman Cahute
A variation on the theme "All's fair in love and war," the dance is performed in the puppet tradition prevalent throughout the Ukraine centuries ago. A landowner's son attempts to get rid of his rival for a married woman's affections by delivering an order sending him off to war. The woman spurns his advances, her cossack husband returns, and together they give him the boot.
Lemko Medley
Choreography: Roma Pryma-Bohachevsky
Music: Roman Cahute
A quick tempo, vivacious dance of the mountainous Lemko region.
Viterets
Choreography: Mykola Zhukovin
In Viterets or "The Wind", the free spirited dancers soar like a refreshing breeze, picking up the tempo and elevating to the clouds with each measure of music.
Zhniva
Choreography: Roma Pryma-Bohachevsky
Music: Konstantin Miaskov
A lyrical harvest dance where the women work from dawn to dusk reaping the wheat.
Arkan
Choreography: Markian Komichak
An ancient ritualistic dance performed by men from the mountainous Hutsul region of Western Ukraine. Arkan is the only known authentic Ukrainian folk dance warning of danger.
Kolomyjky
Choreography: Mykola Zhukovin
Music: Eugene Zwodesky
An energetic dance from the Hutsul region displaying dancers whirling through myriad formations.
Bukovinian Tropotianka
Choreography: Mykola Zhukovin
Music: Roman Cahut
This dance comes from Bukovinia, located in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, and expresses the lively, boisterous nature of the Bukovinian people.
Boykivsky Zabavy
Choreography: Mykola Zhukovin
Music: Roman Cahute
An evening of social dancing depicting the proud, earthy nature of the people from the Boyko region, with syncopated, precise movements.
Eve of Ivana Kupala***
Choreography: Myroslav Vantuch
Music: H. Zavhorodny
Based on the ancient traditions of the Ivan Kupala Festival, this dance depicts the celebration marking the end of summer solstice and the beginning of the harvest. On the eve of the festival, unmarried young men and women would gather outside the village near a stream. It was believed that garlands of freshly cut flowers which the women sent flowing on the water would determine their destiny. The dance culminates with the men surprising the women with the presentation of embroidered towels symbolizing the proposal of marriage.
Resheto*
Choreography: Sophia Janusz
Music: Roman Cahute
A lyrical harvest dance from the transcarpathian region. The dancers' circular formations represent the rhythmic sifting of seeds in a sieve.
Broken Promises*
Choreography: Mykola Zhukovin
Music: Roman Cahute
A humorous dance from the Kuban region of Ukraine. The amorous advances by the young cossacks are met by teasing and broken promises.
From Kiev to Luben*
Choreography: Mykola Zhukovin
Music: Roman Cahute
Two fathers-in-law continue their rejoicing on the journey home to Luben from a lively wedding in Kiev.
Kokhanochka*
Choreography: Mykola Zhukovin
Music: Roman Cahute
A romantic courtship dance interweaving mesmerizing and enchanting formal patterns.
Lopnuv Obrucz*
Choreography: Mykola Zhukovin
Music:Victor Guzeyev and Dmitro Tkachenko
This Kievan Hopak means, literally, "the barrel breaks." Once it breaks it spills out all the fun!
Bukovinian Lark
Choreography: Mykola Zhukovin
Music: Victor Guzeyev, Dmitro Tkachenko
A lyrical round dance characterizing the ebullient color and high speed of the Bukovinian Lark, which includes a series of boisterous individual and group dances.
Moldavian Suite
Choreography: Andrei Pap
Music: Roman Cahute
A dance of innocent youth beginning with a lyrical girls dance and ending with a grand finale of astounding speed.
Tsifrovaniy**
Choreography: Evgeny Tsiganok
Music: Victor Guzeyev and Dmitro Tkachenko
A transcarpathian dance - "Tsifrovaniy", literally meaning numerical, celebrates the union of men and women as couples evolving from groups of lifelong friends.
The Gossips**
Choreography: Leonid Jacobson, restaged by Vassilii Mountian
Music: Vladimir & Nikolai Radu
A spider web of relationships are revealed through the swirling interactions of five gossiping women.
The Anvil**
Choreography: The Brothers Ily, restaged by Vassilii Mountian
Music: Traditional Gypsy Melodies
A traditional gypsy dance portraying the daily life and rituals of the Ukrainian gypsy. The dance begins with the gypsy checking his mirror to make sure he still exists.
In the Grape Arbor**
Choreography: Vassilii Mountian
Music: Andrij Milavsky
A Bukovinian courtship dance which takes place in the vineyard.
Hopak*
Choreography: Mykola Zhukovin
Music: Victor Guzeyev and Dmitro
Tkachenko
Voloshky's
version of the most exciting of folk dances is a dramatic, tour de force
finale piece. With the entire ensemble participating, it features lavish
ethnic costumes and solos for the men and the women, with the men performing
athletic feats. The dramatic, stirring music drives the high-energy dancing
to a spectacular climax.
*
Made possible in part by a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the
Arts.
** Made possible in part by a grant from the Philadelphia Repertory Development Initiative, a grant program funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by Dance/USA, with assistance from the Philadelphia Dance Alliance.
*** Made possible in part by a grant from Dance Advance, a grant program funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by Drexel University.
This page was last updated on November 17, 2003
** Made possible in part by a grant from the Philadelphia Repertory Development Initiative, a grant program funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by Dance/USA, with assistance from the Philadelphia Dance Alliance.
*** Made possible in part by a grant from Dance Advance, a grant program funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by Drexel University.
This page was last updated on November 17, 2003