Ukrainian dance refers to dance as part of Ukrainian culture in Australia. After the first main wave of Ukrainian immigrants came to Australia after World War II, the Ukrainian community in Australia became active in the formation of a variety of cultural organizations, including choirs, folk dancing groups, and arts organisations.
Outside of Ukraine Vasyl Avramenko, building on Vasyl Verkhovynets' work, developed the "Ukrainian Folk-Stage Dance" art form in the Ukrainian diaspora. In the 1960s, he visited Australia and experienced similar successes to those in North America, in developing dancers and in promoting the Ukrainian Folk-Stage Dance style which he and Verkhovynets had pioneered. Most of Avramenko's influence in Australia stemmed from his massive workshops, which were attended by students of various ages.
Contents |
Another early innovator in Australia was Natalia Tyrawski, who founded the Ukrainian National Ballet (later renamed the "Veselka" Ukrainian Dance Ensemble) in 1952 in Sydney. Tyrawski had studied and performed professionally in Ukraine, and continued to teach Ukrainian dance in Australia for almost fifty years.
At its peak in the 1980s, the Veselka ensemble had four groups, with ages 4–25 years, with a total of 57 male and female dancers, a choreographer (Tyrawski), director (Ivan Shestowsky), three costume designers, a technical officer and administrative staff. Another dance ensemble formed in Sydney in 1967 was "Zahrava". It consists of junior, intermediate and senior groups, with 24 dancers and musicians, spanning ages 5–35. For many years its choreographer was Rita Dubovsky.[1] Veselka has performed at the Shell National Folkloric Festivals at the Sydney Opera House, the "Carnivale" at Government House, Sydney, suburban cultural festivals, clubs, weddings and business functions. The ensemble has also performed outside of Sydney including Canberra, Melbourne, Uluru, Alice Springs, Adelaide, Perth and has also toured Ukraine, Canada and the USA.[2]
The Cossack Brothers were formed in 1996 by Taras Galas. They have performed in many Australian venues and on Australian television, as well as internationally.[3]
Marina Berezowsky moved to Perth, Australia with her husband in 1949, after having performed with numerous dance companies in Ukraine. After working extensively with the West Australian Ballet and the Australian Ballet School, she founded and became artistic director and resident choreographer of the Kolobok Dance Company in Melbourne in 1970, in the wake of successful Australian tours by various international folk dance companies. Kolobok's goal was to give artistic expression to the varied dance traditions brought to Australia by Ukrainians and other immigrants.
Another Melbourne dance ensemble was "Dorishka", under the direction of Irene Zaleskyj, who studied drama and worked in the theatre in Lviv, Ukraine, and Mittenwald, Germany. The ensemble consisted of four groups of dancers, numbering between 45–60, and ranging in age from 5 to mid twenties.[1]
The Verchovyna Ukrainian Youth Association Dance Ensemble originated in the 1950s under the artistic directorship of Yaroslav Bulka one of the pioneers of Ukrainian Folk dancing in Melbourne. Verchovyna has performed in major cities along the eastern, western and southern seaboards of Australia as well as in regional Australia, in renowned venues such as the Melbourne Concert Hall and the National Theatre. In 1994, Verchovyna where invited to participate in the "Folklorama" Festival in Winnipeg, Verchovyna also gave independent concerts in Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton and Toronto.
The "Kuban Cossacks" dance troupe was formed in 1956 in Melbourne, and led by Wasyl and Lilly Kowalenko, achieved international success for their performances of Ukrainian cossack dances and songs. By 1989 the troupe had appeared in 13,000 live shows in 30 countries, and had appeared on 160 television shows.[4]
One of the leading figures in the instruction of Ukrainian dance in Australia was Vladimir Kania, who organized his first adult dance ensemble "Poltava" in Perth in 1951, and ran that ensemble and others almost three decades. Kania had been trained in Ukrainian dance in his hometown of Jarosław, Poland. Consisting of 8 to 10 dancers and piano accompaniment, they performed to critical acclaim at the Capitol Theatre, Perth in 1952, as part of a concert in aid of the United Nations Forces in Korea. During this period, a second dance group was formed in Melville in Perth. The Melville Ukrainian Dancing Group was also directed by Vladimir Kania, and continued successfully south of the Swan river for many years.[5]
Roztiazhka Ukrainian Cossack Dancers is an independent dance company formed in Perth, Western Australia in 1991. It consists of 21 dancers (10 female, 11 male), with average ages between 17–23.[5]
Under the instruction of Father Wolodymyr Kalinecki, the Vohon Ukrainian Cossack Dance Group was formed in Perth. The group has dancers aged 13–17. The group performed live on community television, and Australia-wide on SBS Television.[6]