Orlyk's Dance Repertoire

Kozatstvo (The Cossack Brethren)
In the mists of the sixteenth century the Cossacks, the legendary free spirited fighters of Ukraine, traversed the vast steppes defending freedom and the survival of their people. The dance opens with the beat of the drum calling the Cossacks to battle – the initial practice at arms is followed by revelry amongst the men each trying to out perform the others until the final call to battle culminates in some superb swordsmanship.
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Chumaky 
The Chumaks were a group of itinerant Cossacks who, after the destruction of their stronghold in the early 18^th century, travelled through the length and breadth of Ukraine trading in salt. In this dance the young boys in the group dance away the hours after a long haul from the Black Sea.

Hutsulka – Triasunka (Hutsul Tremble)
In the Carpathian Mountains of Ukraine, the hill folk have their own unique style of dance and costume. In this first dance the girls come forward with the typical shaking, sure-footed steps associated with the region. The slow majestic opening rapidly increases to a whirling finish of breath defying speed.

Kolomiyka 
High in the Carpathians there is a village known as Kolomiya. This popular mixed dance originates from here ands shows the exuberance of the folk as the men proceed onto the stage with their axes to escort the girls in an unusual blend of footwork, strength and precision.

Na Polyani (On The Village Green)
This is one of Orlyk’s oldest dances and shows the girls coming together to pick flowers, which will eventually go to make their head-dresses. The slow, sentimental music allows the girls to express themselves with great grace and style. At the end the completed wreaths are presented to the audience as a typical gesture of friendship and love.

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Vechornytsi  (The Gathering)
As in the case of all young people at night, they go to each other’s houses to talk and make merry. The young men show their agility, suppleness and strength as they try to impress the girls, who in turn return the compliment with subtle, graceful movements and delightful footwork. The dance finishes with a resounding flourish, with all joining in to complete a full evening’s festivities!

Marusia
Marusia is a girl who lives in a village somewhere beyond the Danube. Her name is well known to the young men who live nearby. The dance opens with a song about what happens when they arrive at her house only to be met by her parents. Late at night, after being given a meal, they decide to sneak off, but are discovered in the act and driven off with a good hiding! The dance then proceeds with all the dancers joining in the festivities to help forget an otherwise awkward moment.

Poltavka
A dance from Poltava region of the Ukraine. It is performed by girls with a soloist encouraging the girls t dance from a slow to a fast tempo.

Snih u Sadu (The Snow in the Orchard)
A graceful, melodic dance on the approach of winter – the girls sing as they imagine the snowflakes falling in the leafless orchard, covering the trees with a new life of icicles glistening in the morning frost.

Metelytsia (The Blizzard)
In the deep mid-winter the boys and girls come out to frolic in the snow, often slipping and sliding as they try to gain a foothold. As the dance proceeds so it becomes more fervent and blizzard-like as the tempo builds rapidly. 
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Na Levadi (The Meadow)
The village girls meet and admire each other’s beautiful dresses and blouses in a slow, graceful, opening. As the dance continues the tempo increases until they arrive at a crescendo of colour and flaring skirts.

Zentse (The Harvest Dance)
Performed by girl reapers with sickles and by men with scythes. They sing and dance together and also invite the farmer to dance.

Deviatka is a Ukrainian folk quadrille of the 19^th century.
It was recorded in the village of Medzhibizhi in the Khmel’nitskiy district. The dance consists of three men and six girls and for this reason it is known as ‘the nine’. In this dance three men wonder which of the girls they would like to escort to the dance – not knowing which, they take two each to decide which would be the best. The men dance with arrogance and high stepping footwork – the girls try to lure them with coy glances and flirtatious looks. In the end they have to decide which one, well I’ll leave you to decide the outcome…

Wesnianka-Chorovid
On Easter Sunday in the Ukraine after the solemn church services everyone gathers in the churchyard for the "Hayivky", "Vesnianky" and "Chorowody". These are special games and songs.

Arkan
A dance for men originating from the Carpathian mountains. Performed in a circle with men carrying long handled hatchets.

Hopak
This is a traditional Ukrainian group dance from the district of Kiev and very popular throughout the country, and it is a vigorous peasant dance. It is danced in pairs, side by side, in a circle, in lines or following each other with the unremitting vigour of the Ukrainian people who dwell on rich vast region, known as the Steppe. The dancer can express his own individuality and feelings. This vivid and passionate dance is purely Ukrainian in origin.

There will be more dance explanations and pictures to come as the website is further developed.

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