DANCE

Society for the Performing Arts (SPA), bringing the world’s best to Houston, presents the Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company.

For more than 70 years, the Ukraine’s professional dance company has won the hearts of audiences around the world with its passionate performances exhibiting the romance and exquisite charm of Ukrainian folk dancing. The color, beauty and folk tradition of the Ukraine are trademarks of this 85-member ensemble that celebrates the spirit of a culture through dance.

By combining brilliant ballet techniques with traditional Ukrainian folk dance, founder Pavlo Virsky created a company that gained worldwide acclaim for its technically superb and innovative choreography. Now under the direction of Artistic Director Myroslav Vantukh, this dance troupe has charmed audiences all over the world with its diverse programs that embrace the charm and tradition of Ukrainian folk dance.

Each and every performance is a romantic, elevated, passionate and exciting show. The ensemble’s diverse concert programs presenting the exquisite charm of Ukranian folk dancing and the wealth of its traditions have been warmly received by audiences all over the world. 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.

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. Myroslav Vantukh, Pavlo Virsky’s disciple and great expert in folk traditions and ethnography, has been in charge of the ensemble since 1980. His main objective and continuing creative quest is the careful preservation and development of folk choreographic art.

The ensemble has toured Austria, Great Britain, 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. The foreign press has been unanimous about the high artistic and professional qualities of the company.