When borders disappear
Kyiv hosts 2nd International Children and Youth Festival of Choreography
Music by Tchaikovsky, Minkus, Adan, Chopin, Aubert, and other classical composers filled the Cultural and Artistic Center of Ukraine’s Security Service, while talented youngsters from Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, Odesa, and Poltava, as well as their guests from Italy, danced to its accompaniment. The jury was presided over by the legendary Ukrainian ballet dancer Valentyna Kalynovska.
The first International Festival “Dance without Borders” was held by the Ukrainian Ballet Academy five years ago with young participants from Italy, Poland, and Slovenia. The academy is already 12 years old. It was born within the walls of Ukraine’s National Opera, initially as a studio for theater actors’ children, where their parents began studying teaching methods in order to share their immense stage experience.
Alvina Kalchenko, the organizer and artistic director of the festival, envisaged the competition as an aid to exchanging experience among various dancing schools, mastering new trends in choreography, spotting the most gifted young actors, and developing their talent. The children’s first awards are a superb incentive to improve their prowess.
The festival jury awarded first prize for classical dance in the older age category to Anastasiia Zaberezhna from Kyiv. Second place was shared by Elina Pokhodnyk (Odesa) and Oleksandra Liashenko (Kharkiv). Oleksandra won one more award, the audience prize, for her fiery Spanish dance. Another dancer from Kharkiv, Olha Bielosokhova, took first place in the younger age group. In this category Hanna Karnaukh from Kyiv came second in contemporary dance, while the jury decided to leave the first place vacant.
Among the dance groups, the competition in the same dance was won by students from the Fors School of Kyiv, while the Ukrainian Ballet Academy finished second.
In the older age group, foreign dance groups put on an excellent performance. The Ukrainian Ballet Academy in Italy won the first prize, while Danza-Danza, was awarded second place. The choreography of their performances was done by Kateryna Calvino Prina.
The “Dance without Borders” festival and competition ended with a gala concert in Ukraine’s National Opera, with the young performers appearing alongside the leading soloists of the ballet theater.
