Roma
Pryma Bohachevsky - Founder
The ensemble's
founding Artistic Director Roma Pryma Bohachevsky, was an internationally
recognized Prima Ballerina and Choreographer. Having started her
career as a ballerina in Ukraine, she recieved a diploma from the
Vienna Academy of Music and Performing Arts, and continued her studies
in the United States. Ms. Bohachevsky's stage appearances have included
solo performances and concert tours of Europe, North America and
Central America. Eventually, she turned to teaching and choreography,
deeply influenced by the methods of Agrippina Vaganova and Martha
Graham, with whom she studied.
Among Mrs. Bohachevsky's
many choreographic creations are "Peer Gynt," "Kvit
Paporoti" (Blossoming Fern), and "Cinderella," which
have been danced over the years by hundreds of her students. At
each summer camp, Mrs. Bohachevsky brings to life a Fairy Tale,
weaving traditional and classical themes with imaginative staging,
choreography, and costumes.
But, the most
impressive choreographies are unquestionably those that she created
specifically for the Syzokryli Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, comprised
of her most talented students. Each choreography brings out the
beauty of the Ukrainian theme developed in the dance, interwoven
with elements of ballet, modern and stylized folk dance. Among her
creations are "Battle for Freedom," a dramatic ballet
commemorating the tragedy of Chernobyl, and "Icona," a
historical recreation celebrating the millenium of Christianity
in Ukraine.
Orlando
Pagan - Artistic Director
Orlando V. Pagan's
most recent accomplishment of four years is Dance Theater of Harlem,
NYC under the direction of Arthur Mitchell. Repertoire performed:
"Return";Soloist, "Concierto in F";Demi soloist,
"Medea"; Demi soloist, "South African Suite",
"Dougla", "Firebird"; Corps. He has traveled
all over the U.S. including China and Austria.
Mr. Pagan has
also worked with such luminaries in film and on stage with Mikhail
Baryshnikov, Mark Morris, Desmond Richardson, Alvin Ailey, Michael
Smuin and Arthur Mitchell. Mr. Pagan has been affiliated with the
Syzokryli Ukrainian Folk Ensemble, NYC for fourteen years as a Principle
Dancer and Choreographer under the direction of Roma Pryma Bohachevsky
until his assignment as Artistic Director in late 2006. Pagan also
participated in Syzokryli's first tour to Ukraine in 1992.
Other notable
accomplishments are: Shore Ballet: "The Nutcracker Ballet";
corps, Russian; Soloist. Windmere Ballet: "The Nutcracker Ballet";
"Spanish"; "Arabian"; "Snow King";
"Cavalier". Alvin Ailey School of Dance, NYC under the
direction of Walter Raines. "Memoria"; corps.& Performing
Arts High School, NYC-Royce Heath, Elissa King, Penny Frank.
Pagan is also
the Artistic Director of Zolotyj Promin School of Ukrainian Dance
in Hartford, CT, Barvinok of Astoria, RPB School of Ukrainian Folk
Dance in Manhattan, and Mriya School of Ukrainian Dance in Hempstead,
L.I.
Outside of dance,
Mr. Pagan is also an accomplished songwriter with songs featured
in both film and radio. He is an official member of ASCAP and AGMA.
Andrij Cybyk - Syzokryli Artistic Director from 2004-2006
Andrij Cybyk
is American by birth, Ukrainian by heritage and Gypsy at heart.
He began his dance training in Ohio, where he studied Ukrainian
and Character dance with Dave Wozniak and Markian Komichak in the
ensemble Kashtan and Ballet at the University of Akron Conservatory
of Dance. When he was a teen, Mr. Wozniak took Andrij to his first
Dance Camp with Roma Pryma Bohachevsky. Two years later, he began
attending her Dance Workshop at Verkhovyna, a training ground for
the best Ukrainian Character dancers in North America and was invited
to perform with Syzokryli, her New York based dance ensemble.
Andrij attended
Duquesne University and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a double
major in Psychology and Philosophy. While at Duquesne, he broadened
his dance training and experience by performing over 360 shows with
the Duquesne University Tamburitzans. In the Tamburitzans, he had
the opportunity to study with some of the world’s greatest
masters of Eastern European Folk dance including Vasillii Mountian,
Dimiter Manov, Zelco Jergan, Elaina Lindtnerova-Kraslakova, Zoltan
Zurawski and Dragan Kovacevic.
After graduating
the ensemble and spending yet another of many summers dancing for
and assisting Roma Pryma Bohachevsky, Andrij went to Ukraine and
attended the Virsky School of Academic Ukrainian Folk Dance in Kyiv,
Ukraine. He graduated with the title Artist of Ballet and returned
to the United States.
He now lives
in New York City and pursues dancing full time. He has been featured
as a guest artist and principal dancer for the following dance companies:
Anglo-American Ballet Company, Brighton Ballet Theater, Connecticut
Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, Shore Ballet Company, Michael Mao Dance,
Nai Ni Chen Dance Company, and the ALLNATIONS Dance Company. He
has also been a guest artist at numerous schools and for several
occasions, including the Times Square Millennium Celebration. Andrij
currently trains with Michael Mao and Katherine Kingsley and was
the Artistic Director for the Syzokryli Ukrainian Dance Ensemble
from 2004 to 2006.
