Roztiazhka Ukrainian Cossack Dancers is an independent dance company formed in Perth, Western Australia in 1991.  The purpose of our company is to perform the genre of Ukrainian-cossack and Ukrainian-folk dance.  We constitute a non-profit, amateur, Australian dance company.  Membership is granted through audition and upon compliance to the principles of our constitution.

Roztiazhka is currently comprised of 21 dancers (10 female, 11 male). Membership fluctuates from season to season, however our company consistently averages between 17 to 23 dancers, with a mean age of 24.  Our non-performing Alumni currently numbers 47 people.

Roztiazhka Ukrainian Cossack Dancers recognise that they have earned their distinction in the Perth dance community through the efforts of ALL their past dancers (Alumni).  As such, our ongoing commitment is to involve our Alumni in all aspects of our company, and archive their efforts for the appreciation of future dancers.

The majority of dancers can trace their ancestry back to Ukraine .  Membership is open to all Australians with an interest in Ukrainian dance, and we are increasingly enjoying the membership of new dancers with diverse cultural backgrounds, all of whom greatly contribute to the character and workings of our company.

Our History -   Written by Mykhailo R. Doschak

ABOUT AUSTRALIA

Australia is a country of approximately 18 Million people, and is divided into six states [with respective capital cities in brackets] as follows: New South Wales [Sydney], Victoria [Melbourne], Queensland [Brisbane], South Australia [Adelaide], Western Australia [Perth], Tasmania [Hobart] and two major territories: the Northern Territory [Darwin] and the Australian Capital Territory [Canberra]. All of these capital cities (except Canberra ) are located on or near the ocean, and up to 90% of the Australian population can be found living on the coast. These demographics are very different to those found, for example, in Canada or the United States .

UKRAINIANS IN AUSTRALIA

The first major wave of Ukrainian emigration to Australia began in 1947-1948, shortly after the end of the Second World War. During a 3 to 5 year period, approximately 22,000 Ukrainians landed on the shores of Australia , usually transported by ship or by Allied military vessels.

These individuals were mostly Displaced Persons (or DPs as the western world referred to them), and had left Ukraine because the war had uprooted them, and they now found themselves homeless in the Allied sectors (British, French and American) of Germany , and in Western Europe . As the Soviet Red Army now occupied all of Ukraine, these DPs were reluctant to go home to Ukraine, as many people were being murdered (it must be remembered that these were civillians, and the war was now over) by the Soviet Red Army for the slightest inconsistency, and the rest were being packaged like animals into rail carriages and deported to the Siberian wilderness, where untold many perished in the harsh conditions.

The Ukrainian immigrants that arrived on the shores of Australia were sad to have been separated from their family, their homeland and most of their possessions, however, there was an optimism about being free in a young country with lots of opportunity. The first years were very hard for these new settlers, both monetarily and psychologically (being a foreign land with many different aspects to its culture). Not surprisingly, the Ukrainian immigrants sought each other for company, support and comfort, and community organisations and churches were formed within the first years of arrival. Ukrainian community life is inseparable from Ukrainian culture, and it wasn't long before Ukrainian language, arts, religious festivals, music, song and dance began in Australia . Thus begins the exciting evolution of Ukrainian dance in Australia .

In the 1990s, the Australian-Ukrainian community numbers approximately 35,000 people. Sydney and environs [10,000], Melbourne and environs [10,000], Adelaide [5,000], Brisbane [4,000], Perth [3,000], with smaller communities in Canberra , Tasmania , and other centres.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF UKRAINIAN DANCE IN PERTH

It must be understood that scores of individuals have been (and continue to be) involved in the instruction of Ukrainian dance in Perth , particularly to children, but to list them all is beyond the purpose of this article. We hope to provide a concise overview of the dates, events, and key people leading adult Ukrainian dance in Perth

Poltava Ukrainian Dancers, Perth , 1952" Back row, from left to right: Natalya Anuriv, Halyna Leheta , Lydia Pushyk.

Front row from left to right: George Pushyk, Vladimir Kania, Mykhailo Doschak. Guitarist: Eugene Daskevych.

The beginnings of Ukrainian dance in Perth can be traced back to 1949-1950, surrounding community life in the Displaced Persons camps. It was here that folk dance retained its truest meaning, being used to honour and describe religious events, and to celebrate social functions. Thus, 'Vesnianky', the 'Arkan', 'Kozachok' and 'Hopak' were all first witnessed on West Australian soil.

Poltava Ukrainian Dancers, Perth, 1968" From left to right: Nina Lubtchenko, Olia Lubtchenko, Mykhailo Spryn,

Wolodymyr Lubtchenko, Victor Shilo, Vladimir Kania, Slawka Shilo.

The first adult dance group in Perth , ' Poltava ', was organized by Vladimir Kania in 1951, and ran successfully for almost three decades. Consisting of 8 to 10 dancers and piano accompaniment, they thrilled an unsuspecting Australian public with age-old melodies and choreographic form (not to mention the cossack leaps and squats!). Vladimir was trained in Ukrainian dance in his hometown of Jaroslav, on the river San in Western Ukraine , and has clearly been the foremost influence upon Ukrainian dance in Perth . One of ' Poltava 's' finest performances was at the Capitol Theatre in 1952, as part of a concert in aid of the United Nations Forces in Korea . Dancing to a full house of 3,000, they stole the show from the other acts, and received critical acclaim. During this period, a second dance group was formed in Melville (a suburb of Perth ). The Melville Ukrainian Dancing Group was also directed by Vladimir Kania, and continued successfully south of the Swan river for many years.

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Melville Ukrainian Dancers, Perth, 1954" From left to right: Halyna Shyhymaha, Mykhailo Kuzoriz,
Nina Tkachenko, Eve Omelnyckyj, Vladimir Kania, Nina Pawlenko.

Ukrainian dance in Perth received a boost in 1966, when the renown folk-dance master Vasile Avramenko passed through Perth, on his personal crusade to promote Ukrainian dance throughout the world. In conjunction with the Ukrainian Association of Western Australia , an intensive workshop was organised and frequented by no less than 100 students, from 5 years of age through to 30. One student, Bohdan Karpewicz, was instrumental in leading the Perth 'Hromadska' Ukrainian dancing group, and they took part in a national Australian Meet of Ukrainians in Canberra , organised by the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations.

Groups came and went over the next decades, mostly a result of social groups of friends enjoying folk dance, teaching the young, and performing for the Ukrainian community, as well as to an intrigued Australian public. A dance school was started by Fedir Melnyczuk (circa 1967) who also taught the dances, and introduced many Australian-born children to Ukrainian dance. Another notable school of dance was organised by the Ukrainian Youth Association (SUM) in Perth circa 1973, and runs to this day. Initially led by Vladimir Kania, and later by Andrij Mandyczewskyj, the group was named 'Kalyna', and aimed to maintain and promote Ukrainian culture in Western Australia . High-points in dance were achieved with televised performances of Ukrainian dance in Perth during local 'Telethon' charity fund-raising, which continued for a number of years.

During this phase of our development, exciting contributions were made to this ever developing art form by many young Australian-born Ukrainians. Excited by the ability to explore and create new choreography, their efforts were further boosted by the increasing amount of new resource books from Ukraine itself, particularly 'Ukraiinski Narodni Tanky' edited by Humeniuk in the Ukrainian language, and describing the works of Pavlo Virsky. The existing folk dance was reinfused with rich choreographic ideas and a well-defined dance-step lexicology. The definition of this 'alphabet' opened the door to fresh efforts at original choreography, with the forging of an Australian-Ukrainian character which differs to that from our Ukrainian, Canadian, European and other contempories. We find this an exciting development with Ukrainian dance, as creativity is the soul of the arts, and not a detriment.

Through the 1970's and 1980's, an ever increasing interest from the Australian public resulted in a consistent volume of dance performance in the general Australian society. Beginning with the advent of large multicultural festivals at packed concert hall venues, Ukrainian dancers from both ensembles would often perform to enthusiastic audiences, at times in conjunction with performances by the Australian dance community. The most notable of these were the Shell Oil Company sponsored "Shell Folkloric Festivals", which ran nationally for a decade to sizeable audiences, until funding cut-backs fuelled by the oil crisis ended them in 1986. Other exciting developments for the dance community were the advent of regular (3-yearly) national Ukrainian Youth Association (SUM) Meets in Australia ('Krayovi Zdvyhy') and worldwide. These meets were invariably associated with concerts showcasing the 'National' wealth of Ukrainian music, song and dance groups, and provided dancers in Perth with the first means of interstate dance friendships, collaborations, and friendly competitive rivalries! Notable as well, through this period, were the increasing resources for Ukrainian dance becoming available from Canada . New albums of dance music, choreographic books, and Ukrainian regional dances were finding their way to a ravenous Australian-Ukrainian audience.

In 1986, following the departure of many 'Kalyna' dancers, the Ukrainian dance scene was again undergoing transition. The newly formed group of dancers, led by Mykhailo R. Doschak, renamed themselves 'Roztiazhka'. They remained with SUM until 1991, when the dancers decided to become an independent dance company to concentrate on Ukrainian dance alone, and to meet the workload of performances with an increased focus to the Australian public in general. Other key instructors, who invested much work and personal time during this period of change, were Peter Jakimowiez, Halya Doschak, and Ivan McLean. The highlight of this period was the first 'stand-alone' Australian concert production and 4 city tour of any Perth Ukrainian dance company in 1994. This 90 minute production was directed by Mykhailo R. Doschak, and was entitled 'The Cossacks Are Coming!'. A product of the composite wealth of 45 years of Ukrainian dance history in Perth , 'Roztiazhka' was joined and accompanied live by the 'Kashtany' Music Ensemble of Perth , under the musical direction of local Perth composer Myroslav Gutej. Following an excellently organised promotional campaign, to the credit of local photographer Bohdan Warchomij, the show performances were to 'full-house' audiences in Mandurah, Bunbury, Albany and Perth , with much positive press coverage.

Roztiazhka has been led by Alex McLean and Stephanie Ostaszewskyj-Parin since 1995 to this day. Representing the 'Next Generation' of Ukrainian dancers in Perth , they have bonded together a unique social group of individuals who continue to develop and enjoy Ukrainian cossack and Ukrainian folk dance. Recent highlights include mammoth performances at the Perth Entertainment Centre as part of the nationally televised 'Oz Concert', a celebration of Australia Day from its multicultural community. Roztiazhka also took part in Perth 's 'Dance Advance' concert, the highlight of the annual 'Dance Week', and a showcase of Perth 's leading dance companies.

Roztiazhka 2006

Standing, from left to right: Natalya Hawrylak, Stiffy Lozyk, Alex McLean, John Karpewycz, Julie Panotidis

Seated, from left to right: Raine Gorter, John Ostaszewskyj, Katrina Lozyk, Mark Petrowsky, Jeremy Simon, Darina Gassanova, Clem Mykytiuk, Andrij Lozyk

Absent: Pauline Ostaszewskyj, Dana Karpinska, Melissa Cawley, Myxhailo Semenyszyn, Hanya Furdas, Myxhailo Ostaszewskyj, Simon Karpewycz, Baillie Liddle

The dawn of the Technological Age has once again reinfused fresh resources and energy into our Ukrainian dance scene. Videos, touring Ukrainian ensembles from interstate, Canada , and the former Soviet Union (for to this date in 1999, no Ukrainian dance company from Ukraine itself has ever toured Perth !), and recently Email technology, have all intensively boosted the excitement and achievements of local Ukrainian dance companies in an increasingly critical dance world.

The history of Ukrainian dance in Perth differs markedly from that in other states of Australia . For example, Sydney and Melbourne have benefited tremendously from the presence of fully qualified Ukrainian dancers and Ukrainian dance instructors, trained in Ukraine , and who emigrated to Australia . The above synopsis of our history in Perth has been provided as an insight into our local heritage, one which has been meaningful for the many generations of Ukrainian people as well as for many Australians, touched by the beauty of Ukrainian dance, and pleased that they have had the good fortune to have witnessed it. It continues in the good hands of our young dancers, and the new millenium holds much excitement for Ukrainian cossack and folk dancing in Perth , Australia .