Dancing Khmelnytsky

The weekend before last, the Flamingo 2003 Contemporary Dance Contest for Groups and formations ended in Khmelnytsky. For three days, 1047 participants aged 4 to 25 from throughout Ukraine and Moldova competed in the Hip Hop, Disco, and Break Dance categories. For the first time, Dance Show fans got a chance to demonstrate their skills and compete with each other.

President of the Flamingo Khmelnytsky oblast association, Serhiy Kuryk, told The Day , “Only three of Ukraine’s cities, including ours, have the right to hold competitions at such a level.” In his words, the reason for this is the high reputation of his creation, Flamingo, whose members have won prestigious competitions more often.

Mr. Kuryk observed that “the ensembles coming to Khmelnytsky have gained invaluable experience and this was a good chance for them to show their high dancing technique on a national, European, and world level.” Judges from Russia, Poland, Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine gave their due to Serhiy Kuryk’s pupils: Ekspressiya [Expression] group from Cherkasy, Mykolayiv- based Pasadena, and guests from Moldova. The fact that judges of such high rank came to the contest is evidence of the high prestige of the Ukrainian dance school in general and Khmelnytsky in part. The audience showed lively interest in the contemporary dance festival and appreciated the jury’s impartiality. Parents of the youngest participants, children aged under 8, were agitated more than others.

The Flamingo Star 2003 contest was characterized by high tension and severe competition. “The winners were the strongest ones. They became members of the Ukrainian Dance Council and have a chance to win European and world championships as members of the national team,” Mr. Kuryk commented on the prospects for the most talented. He noted that, owing to the efforts of the Khmelnytsky association, more and more children and young people from 4 to 25 are engaged in the art of dance.