About Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company
About Myroslav Vantukh, Artistic Director
About Pavlo Virsky, Co-Founder, Past Artistic Director
Northrop Dance Presents
Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company
Sun, Oct 11, 4 pm, Northrop
Minneapolis, MN (9/18/2009)—Northrop Dance at the University of Minnesota presents the Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company on October 11 at 4 pm, rounding out the U of M Homecoming week. Named after and founded by national icon Pavlo Virsky, the troupe takes pride in their homeland, embracing the beauty of its native country through folkloric tradition, humor, and optimism. From the Carpathian Hills to the cosmopolitan city of Kiev, Ukraine is a bastion of folklore, popular dance and music, and remains one of the last strongholds of traditional culture in all of Eastern Europe.
The program includes a vivacious gypsy dance, lyrical dances portraying young love, a traditional number with bread and salt as a symbol of the earnestness and compassion of the Ukrainian people, and a light-hearted, playful Cossak dance called Povzunets showcasing technical mastery and impressive ability. Using elevated passion and romance, each performance portrays vivid colors, acrobatic athleticism, and exuberant speed exemplifying the quintessential world of Ukraine.
The history of the ensemble goes back to 1937 when Pavlo Virsky and Mykola Bolotov, well-known Ukranian ballet-masters, brought together a group of folk dancers. Virsky trained as a ballet dancer, but found his passion in folk dancing, which he believed represented a nation’s heart and heritage. In 1940, the dance company was named Ukraine’s Song and Dance Company, which was later changed to today’s Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company in order to include his name. From 1955 to 1975, Virsky headed the ensemble, and it was under his guidance that the ensemble matured into a highly professional dance company whose art has continuously impressed countless reviewers and the general public around the world. Proceeding from the folk traditions, Virsky created several artistic choreographic compositions that are still performed today by his company.
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Myroslav Vantukh | Artistic Director
Myroslav Vantukh, a Virsky disciple and great expert in folk traditions and ethnography, has been in charge of the ensemble since 1980. His objectives as artistic director are the careful preservation and development of folk choreographic art. Vantukh himself has created The Carparthians, Tambourine Dance, The Young Years, In Peace and Harmony, and the Russian Suite as part of the company’s repertoire. First class performances and expressiveness of the dancers, exquisite moves and the bright palette of costumes, the wealth of tunes and completeness of the choreographic plot are among characteristic features of the new numbers. Vantukh has also continued the two year choreographic training school founded by Virsky, which since 1992 was revamped as a choreographic school for children called The Ballet School of the Ukrainian National Dance Company.
The ensemble has toured many different lands far from its native Ukraine. Among the extensive list of countries toured are Austria, England, Argentina, Bulgaria, Brazil, Belgium, Venezuela, Greece, Ecuador, Italy, India, Spain, Canada, Columbia, China, Cuba, Korea, Mexico, Mongolia, Germany, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, the United States of America, Hungary, France, France, Czech Republic, Chile, and Switzerland.
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Pavlo Virsky | Co-Founder, past Artistic Director
From 1955 to 1975, Pavlo Virsky headed the ensemble, and his outstanding talent was magnificently implemented in the performances of the company. It was under his guidance that the ensemble matured into a highly professional dance company whose art has won the hearts of countless reviewers and the general public around the world.
Proceeding from the folk traditions, Pavlo Virsky created such artistic choreographic compositions as We’re from Ukraine, The Sailors, The Dolls, We Remember, and The Funny Zaporizhia Cossack Dance Povzunets. Full of soft humor are The Stepp Wagoner’s Delight and Under the Cherry Tree while A Girl from Podillya is soft and romantic, and The Weeping Willow is even sad.
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PEFORMANCE DETAILS:
Sun, Oct 11, 4 pm, Northrop
Individual tickets ($10-$55) and Northrop Dance Season tickets ($40 - $402) are on sale at www.northrop.umn.edu or through the Northrop Ticket Office at 612-624-2345, or room 105 Northrop, 84 Church Street SE, Minneapolis.
Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company is the first event in Northrop’s inaugural Family Dance Series ($89 - $173) with family-friendly programming and times. Ask for available discounts.
Visit www.northrop.umn.edu for more information.
Special support given by Tapestry Folkdance Center, Ethnic Dance Theatre, the Ukrainian Village Band and the Ukrainian Event Center.
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RELATED EVENTS:
Ukrainian Character Dancing
Sat, Oct 10, 4:00 pm - Ballet Master Class
Minnesota Dance Theatre & The Dance InsituteStudio 6A (6th Floor)
528 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55403
For intermediate and advanced ballet students - Ages 10-21
Open for observation. No registration required. Participants wear regular ballet attire.
Character dancing is featured in nearly every full-length classical ballet. As part of the residency of the Virsky Ukrainian Dance Company, the ballet master from the Virsky’s School of Ballet will lead this rare and special workshop on character dancing from the tradition of the Ukrainian folkdance style.
A collaboration with the Minnesota Dance Theater & The Dance Institute.
Turn of the Century – Ukrainian Imperial Court Dancing
Sat, Oct 10, 7:00 pm - Dance Master Class
Tapesty Folkdance Center3748 Minnehaha Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55406
Open for observation and participation. No registration required.
There is a major revival of turn-of-the-century imperial court dancing in Kiev and throughout the Ukraine. Come participate in a workshop led by the lead ballet master of the Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company and learn several dances from the Ukrainian court dance repertoire.
A collaboration with Tapestry Folkdance Center.
Performance Preview with Myroslav Vantukh, Artistic Director
Sun, Oct 11, 3:15 pm, Northrop’s Studio 4
Free and open to public.
Come and hear Northrop’s Director Ben Johnson talk to Artistic Director Myroslav Vantukh in an intimate setting about the company and their work. Limited seating available.
Ukrainian Dance Party and Community Reception
Sun, Oct 11, 6:30 pm,
Ukrainian Event Center
301 Main Street NE
Minneapolis, MN
612-379-1956
Tickets: $5 in advance and at the door with your Virsky performance ticket, or $10 at door. Children under 3 are free.
Celebrate with the entire Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company as the Ukrainian Community Center welcomes the entire community to a night of Ukrainian food and spirits and social dancing featuring live music by Minnesota’s Ukrainian Village Band.
A collaboration with the Ukrainian Event Center
Educational Event: Eastern European Folk Traditions: Performance and Discussion with Natalie Nowytski and Mila Ensemble
Thursday, October 8, 4-5:30 pm,
Room 125 – Nolte Center for Education, U of M.
Mila, an internationally acclaimed professional women’s vocal ensemble, specializes in singing authentic traditional music from over 30 countries. The majority of the versatile group’s music comes from Eastern Europe, although the repertoire also includes music from Central and Western Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The ensemble usually performs a capella. The nine singers of Mila have all trained with native performers and research every song extensively in order to convey the true traditional merit of each performance.
Natalie Nowytski | Professional Singer, Voice Coach
First-generation Ukrainian-American Natalie Nowytski works with Mila in production and as a voice coach. The Minnesota-native was taught classical performance by her grandmother Oksana Bryn, a legendary vocal coach. Since 1996, Nowytski has performed often with the Ethnic Dance Theater, known world-wide, and has also taught vocal workshops, served as consultant for other choral groups, and has appeared regularly with Peter Ostroushko and Ruth MacKenzie, on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion, and in a well-known Koprivshtitsa folk festival in Bulgaria.
This performance is part of the Thursdays at Four series sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Study. Free and open to the public. For more information, please contact the Institute for Advanced Study at 612-626-5054.
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