NEW YORK – On July 9, the Ukrainian American community in New York City had the unique opportunity to watch the talented performers of the Lehenda Ukrainian Dance Company from Melbourne, Australia, perform its stunning production of “Kazka,” an original folk ballet inspired by Ukrainian fairy tales and created by Melanie Moravski-Dechnycz in collaboration with her talented and dedicated team.
Hundreds of Ukrainian Americans from New York, New Jersey and neighboring states filled the NYU Skirball Center for the of Performing Arts to watch the young, energetic performers weave a beautiful story of love, fantasy and Ukrainian folk dance. Lehenda had been performing in North America for the past few weeks, and the troupe’s international tour culminated in New York.
Following the performance, the president of the New York branch of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), Ivanka Zajac, and members of the Ukrainian American Youth Association, New York branch, delivered beautiful flowers of appreciation to the performers, after which the UCCA New York hosted a casual reception for the company at the Ukrainian Liberation Front building. The reception, sponsored by Self Reliance New York Federal Credit Union, gave the community the opportunity to meet with the performers and their creative team in a warm and informal setting. Ms. Zajac expressed the community’s sincere gratitude to Lehenda members for their wonderful performance and encouraged them to return to New York City soon. All those gathered wished them well on their journey back to Australia. The jovial gathering lasted well into the early hours of the morning.