Spirit of the Dance
2025 Year in Review
This Year in Review provides a summary of professional activity undertaken during 2025.
New Works / Choreography
Original Works
ELIZABETH
Dramatic Historical Ballet in One Act
Choreography: Roman Mykyta
Composer: Ottorino Respighi
Premiere: February 21, 2025
Performed by The Ballet Theatre of Maryland at the
Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Annapolis, MD
Elizabeth traces the life of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton through a series of narrative tableaux that move from youthful love and marriage, through loss and spiritual searching, toward a life devoted to faith and service. The libretto centers on Elizabeth’s inner transformation, using recurring figures and symbolic encounters to embody memory, grief, vocation, and divine calling rather than literal biography. Through this distilled storytelling, the ballet presents Elizabeth not as a historical monument, but as a deeply human figure shaped by love, suffering, and grace.
VASYL AVRAMENKO
(Василь Авраменко)
Ballet in One Act based on the life of Vasyl Avramenko
Choreography: Roman Mykyta
Composer: Traditional, arranged by Ron Cahute
Premiere: July 5, 2025
Performed by the Kazka Ukrainian Folk Ensemble at the
36th Ukrainian American Heritage Foundation (UAHF) Dance Camp
at the Ukrainian Homestead of ODWU, Inc, Lehighton, PA
Created for the 130th anniversary of Avramenko’s birth, this ballet in one act honors the Father of Ukrainian Dance in North America. Through expressive ensemble work and vibrant folk movement, the piece offers a culturally rich experience for audiences and students.
FOREST SONG
(Лісова Пісня)
Choreographic Miniature
Tribute to Ukrainian Literary Artist Lesia Ukrainka
Choreography: Roman Mykyta
Composer: Traditional, arranged by Iakov Lapinskii
Premiere: June 14, 2025
Performed by Spirit of the Dance - Дух Tанцю Ukrainian Folk Ballet
at the 2025 Ukrainian Folk Festival
at the Tryzub Ukrainian-American Sports Center in Horsham, PA
Inspired by Lesia Ukrainka’s Forest Song, a cornerstone of Ukrainian literature, the piece weaves folklore and poetry into a tale of love between Lukash, a village lad, and Mavka, a forest nymph drawn to him by the magic of his flute. Torn between Mavka’s otherworldly spirit and the earthly practicality of the widow Kylyna, Lukash chooses the human world, losing Mavka to the forest. When that choice proves hollow, he returns in longing, finding only her abandoned flute — a quiet echo of a love that could not endure.
TALES FROM DYKANKA
(Казки з Диканьки)
Choreographic Miniature
Tribute to Ukrainian Literary Artist Mykola Hohol (Nikolai Gogol)
Choreography: Roman Mykyta
Composer: Traditional, arranged by Ron Cahute
Premiere: June 14, 2025
Performed by Spirit of the Dance - Дух Tанцю Ukrainian Folk Ballet
at the Eckley Miner's Village Museum Patchtown Days Celebration
Beloved characters from Ukrainian literature step onto the stage in this playful vignette inspired by Mykola Hohol’s stories. Oksana (Christmas Eve) and Hanna (May Night) share a joyful encounter with the legendary Kozak Taras Bulba as he journeys through Dykanka. The piece captures the humor, charm, and folkloric imagination of Hohol’s literary world.
HORSESHOES
(Підківочки)
Ukrainian Folk Dance
Choreography: Roman Mykyta
Composer: Traditional
Premiere: June 14, 2025
Performed by Spirit of the Dance - Дух Tанцю Ukrainian Folk Ballet
at the Eckley Miner's Village Museum Patchtown Days Celebration
This joyful and flirtatious dance originates near Zaporizhzhia, the historic homeland of the Kozaks. A young man and woman engage in playful courtship as stamping, prancing, and bounding steps echo the rhythm of galloping horses. The choreography captures both the strength of the Kozak spirit and the lighthearted charm of youthful romance.
Re-Stagings / Adaptations of Original Work
MACBETH - Original Choreography 2024
Ballet Theatre of Maryland — Maryland Renaissance Festival (Labor Day 2025)
Choreography: Roman Mykyta
Composer: Richard Strauss
Premiere: Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts (2024)
Originally created in 2024, MacBeth remains in the repertory of Ballet Theatre of Maryland and continues to be programmed for the Maryland Renaissance Festival. Its duration, narrative focus, and adaptability to outdoor performance settings support repeated presentation in this venue.
Stagings
WE ARE FROM UKRAINE (Ми з України) - Pavlo Virsky
Staged for Ukrainian American Heritage Foundation (UAHF) (2025)
Adapted for a multigenerational Ukrainian ensemble, this staging centers cultural transmission while introducing the stylistic breadth and movement vocabulary of Ukrainian folk-stage dance.
WE ARE FROM UKRAINE (Ми з України) - Pavlo Virsky
Staged for the Ballet Theatre of Maryland (2025)
Introduced into a Western professional ballet repertory, this staging integrates Ukrainian folk-stage style and ceremonial movement vocabulary within a classical company framework.
PLESKACH (Плескач) - Pavlo Virsky
Staged for the Ballet Theatre of Maryland (2025)
Staged for a professional ballet company in an outdoor performance setting, this work introduces Ukrainian rhythmic play and character-dance vocabulary into Western ballet training and repertory practice.
PODOLYANOCHKA (Подоляночка) - Pavlo Virsky
Staged for the Ballet Theatre of Maryland (2025)
This staging brings Ukrainian ritual-based movement and lyric character vocabulary into a Western ballet context, expanding the company’s expressive range beyond traditional classical and modern forms.
Recognitions and Professional Highlights
Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC)
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Grant Award — FY26 FolkLife Apprenticeship Grant, awarded as Master Artist, supporting the transmission of Ukrainian folk-stage dance through a formal master–apprentice partnership.
Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine / National University of Ukraine on Physical Education and Sport
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Invited International Presenter, III International Scientific and Practical Seminar (November 2025).
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Presentation addressed:
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Integration of diaspora dance practice within classical ballet training
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Terminology alignment across Vaganova, Cecchetti, RAD, and ABT systems
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Demonstration, music, and costume as pedagogical tools in dance transmission
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Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
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Grant-supported artistic leadership — served as principal artist, instructor, and choreographer for UAHF Dance Camp programming supported by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts; original choreography and repertory stagings developed and taught as part of the funded initiative.
Performances
Spirit of the Dance - Дух Танцю - Ukrainian Folk Ballet
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Repertory performances and festival appearances
Ballet Theatre of Maryland
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Performer in original and staged works
Kazka Ukrainian Folk Ensemble
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Repertory performances and festival appearances
Ukrainian American Heritage Foundation
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Performer in original and staged works
Carroll County Dance Center and Conservatory
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Faculty and performance appearances
Misako Ballet Studio
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Guest performer and instructor appearances
Teaching and Professional Development
Intensives & Masterclasses
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Ukrainian American Heritage Foundation (UAHF) Ukrainian Dance Camp - Weeklong intensive serving approximately 100 students (ages 6–adult); principal instructor and choreographer in Ukrainian folk-stage and character dance.
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Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) Dance Festival - Conducted masterclasses in Ukrainian Dance and Character Dance for approximately 70 Baltimore County dance students
Dance Schools
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Central City Dance Center (CCDC) - Ongoing instruction in pre-professional ballet, boys’ class, and summer character dance.
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Misako Ballet Studio - Faculty for summer character dance program and ballet instruction.
Pilates / Movement Conditioning
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Club Pilates (Maryland) - Instructor at three studios, providing movement conditioning that supports dancer health, longevity, and technical sustainability.
For a more reflective overview of the year,
read the full 2025 Year in Review blog →