Voloshky relies on the expertise of its highly trained artistic staff to maintain the ensemble's proffesional quality. Voloshky's current artistic staff is comprised of an artistic director, a ballet mistress, and a character dance master. These individuals bring experience, professionalism, authenticity, and personality to the Ensemble.

Mr. Taras Lewyckyj, Artistic Director since 1995, has enjoyed a long and fruitful association with Voloshky since joining as a dancer in 1974.

Mr. Lewyckyj’s dance training began in 1966 at the Roman Strotski School of Ukrainian Dance in Philadelphia. Later, he entered the School of the Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble. He has studied with Mykola Zhukovin and Roma Prima Bohachevska, whose choreographies dominate Voloshky’s repertoire. Mr. Lewyckyj has performed with numerous dance companies as a guest artist. He has instructed students of the School of the Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble in ballet and character dance since 1978.

In addition to his dance training, Mr. Lewyckyj brings an extensive background in aesthetics to his position as Artistic Director. He studied fine arts at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. He received his degree in painting and sculpture after studying abroad in Rome. Subsequent to his studies, Mr. Lewyckyj taught anatomy and sculpture at Temple University’s Tyler Campus.

Currently Mr. Lewyckyj is also Creative Director and Founding Partner of the graphic design firm Optik Nerv. Mr. Lewyckyj continues to perform with the Voloshky Ensemble and appear as a guest artist with other dance companies. As a member of the staff at the Voloshky School, he also choreographs for the young students -- the future stars of Voloshky.

Oleg Goudimiak
Assistant Artistic Director
Oleg Goudimiak, has been a member of the Ensemble since 1993. He has performed and directed Ukrainian dance throughout the world. Mr. Goudimiak is a native of Ukraine where he graduated from the Lviv School of Performing Arts, majoring in ballet and character dance. He later continued his studies at the University of Culture and Theatrics in Kiev, Ukraine. Mr. Goudimiak was a dance instructor at the University of Kiev and later the Character Ballet Master/Instructor for Halychyna Ukrainian State Dance Ensemble in Lviv where he also performed as a soloist. Currently, Mr. Goudimiak is a dance instructor at the Metropolitan Ballet Academy in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.