Voloshky Performing Dance Academy once again comes to the Poconos (05/06/01)

A Ukrainian Summer: where to go, what to do...

Voloshky Performing Dance Academy once again comes to the Poconos

by Peggy Leiby and Ret Turner

LEHIGHTON, Pa. - The hills are alive with Ukrainian folk dancing for performers in the Pocono Mountains this summer. The third annual Voloshky Performing Dance Academy, under the artistic direction of Taras Lewyckyj, will expose dancers to the finest training in Ukrainian folk dance, with instruction by leading performers and teachers visiting from Ukraine.

The two-week camp, which is sponsored by the Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble of Jenkintown, Pa., will run August 5-18, and will be an intensive, full-time program of classes in character, ballet, choreography and performance technique. The camp will culminate with a performance, weather permitting, by academy participants at the Lehighton Ukrainian Festival on August 18.

This year's instructors are counted among the top performers in Ukraine. Stepan Zabredowsky is the dean of faculty and professor at the National Cultural University in Kyiv, and specializes in the methodology of teaching techniques for Ukrainian dance at the professional level. At the camp he will teach classes in character and choreography.

Maryana Pyrih, a lead soloist with the Virsky Ukrainian Dance Company of Kyiv, will be instructing at the academy for the first time. She has toured worldwide with the company, most recently in Japan, Portugal and Spain. She will teach ballet, barre and technique.

Victor Guzeyev is a concertmaster with the Virsky Symphony Orchestra. Playing the accordion, he will provide musical accompaniment for all classes and performances. (Last year he displayed amazing stamina, playing vigorously all day long.)

The teaching staff is being expanded this year, and will include Voloshky's Mark Kalyta as instructors' assistant. Mr. Kalyta started training with the School of the Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble in 1983 and joined the ensemble in 1992. He spent two years with the Tamburitzans at Duquesne University, and recently returned from Kyiv, where he spent five months with the Virsky Company for training in choreography and dance technique.

Each summer the academy provides a unique opportunity for aspiring dancers. Typically, these are motivated youngsters, who come from throughout the Northeast and beyond, who have some previous training and are prepared to work hard for two weeks. The camp serves the invaluable purpose of introducing and giving access to the best talent from Ukraine. These guest artists, at the top of their professional careers, bring insights into the latest developments of the Ukrainian dance art form.

The choreography taught at last year's camp, Bukovynian Skakunets, Hutsuliata, Podilski Kryvuny, and a Central Ukrainian Deviatka, were technically difficult and artistically challenging. The instructors' boundless energy and enthusiasm proved infectious, and the group was raised to a level that the students didn't realize they were capable of attaining.

Viewing the studio during any class, one would find the students held rapt, hanging on the teacher's every word and move. Even though all classes were conducted entirely in Ukrainian, those who didn't speak Ukrainian had no trouble following, proving the adage that dance is a universal language. The students thrived on exhausting schedule of eight hours of classes daily, with the teachers and students seeming to feed off each other for inspiration and energy.

When daily classes are over, there are free-time activities. The camp has a large pool and expansive recreation fields. Highlights from last year included a Mexican Night, a candlelight dinner served by the Plast cycling camp, and especially the treat of being invited to perform at Soyuzivka for Hutsul night. Plans are underway for an additional performance on a professional stage at the nearby Knoebels Amusement Park, where the students will have time to enjoy rides and attractions.

The academy will be held at the Ukrainian Homestead, which is located in the Pocono Mountains, a few hours' drive from Philadelphia and New York City. The Homestead, nestled in the hills near Lehighton and historic Jim Thorpe (also known as Mauch Chunk), is a popular summer retreat for the Ukrainian community.

The classes will be small; enrollment is limited, in order to allow for maximum individual attention. Therefore, the academy directors recommend early registration to ensure a spot. Applicants must be at least 8 years of age, and have a minimum of two years' dance experience. Classes will be arranged according to age and ability level.

The cost of the two-week academy is $540, which includes room and board. Deadline for registration is July 13, and a $50 deposit is required to hold the spot.

For more information, contact Luba Kalyta, (215) 969-1392, or e-mail [email protected]. Photographs from last year can be seen at the website at www.voloshky.com.

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