MAZE WITHOUT A MINOTAUR by Mariia Bakalo. Photo: Taso_Papadakis
COSSACHKA
Director: Julia Lopata
Choreographer: Gala Pekha
Composer and performer: Olena Shykina
Singer and performer: Solomiya Kyrylova
Costume designer: Asya Sutiagina
Lighting designer: Paweł Urbanowicz
Dramaturg: Paul Bargetto
Producer: Polina Bulat
Dancers: Dayana MankovskaIlona Kovalova, Kateryna Kurman, Viktoria Demydova, Anna Kulchytska
Supported by: Goethe-Institut’s Projektfonds Ukraine, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office to strengthen the sustainability of cultural and educational partners in Ukraine. The Work in Progress of the performance was supported by the Ukrainian Contemporary Dance Platform and The Place (UK) as part of the Let The Body Speak project.
ANNIHILATION
Idea, choreography, musical solution, performance: Yaroslav Kainar
Director: Krystyna Shishkaryova
Supported by: Totem Dance
Photo: Vira Dumke
MAZE WITHOUT A MINOTAUR
Artistic director, choreographer, dancer: Mariia Bakalo
Video editing consultant: Pavlo Yaremak
Translation: Larissa Babij
Scenography consultant: Sofia Kozlova
Cover design: Yevheniia Liubchyk
Composer, sound designer: Mariia Yaremak
Interviewee: Antonina Romanova, Taras, Nazarij, Arsen Mshanetski
Technical director: Tony Shaine
The work includes a fragment of the composition: Tonbruket — Sailor Walz
Supported by: UC Riverside’s Department of Dance
Memory House
Musician: Polina Pohozha (Piano)
23.10 - 24.10
The Ukrainian dance platform is organised as a part of DancEUA (Contemporary Resilience: Reinventing Dance in Ukraine), a Creative Europe project (2025-2027) created by Studio Contemporary Dance Company – SSP (Croatia), Central Europe Dance Theatre – CEDT (Hungary), M Studio (Romania), Vitlycke – CPA (Sweden) and UA Contemporary Dance Platform (Ukraine) to empower Ukrainian contemporary dance through creativity, connection and resilience. The DancEUA is designed to foster artistic dialogue, support the development of individual projects, and encourage collaboration between artists from Ukraine and the partner countries.
Two additional performances connected to the Ukrainian Dance Platform will be presented as a part of HERE:2027 International Performing Arts Festival in September 2027.
DancEUA (Contemporary Resilience: Reinventing Dance in Ukraine) is co-financed by the European Union.
Vitlycke-CPA’s participation in DancEUA is financed by The Swedish Arts Council and VGR.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Events and ticket links is coming soon!
DancEUA: More Than Ever
Ukrainian Dance Platform
Through the language of contemporary dance, Ukrainian creators share personal and collective stories about the experience of war, transformation and uncertainty. The performances explore themes of resistance, identity, vulnerability and humanity, while reflecting on memory, violence, survival and the strength found in both the body and the community.
Program:
23.10.2026 I 19:00
COSSACHKA: Julia Lopata, Gala Pekha
An ambient audio-choreographic odyssey that delves into the depths of women’s resilience, brought to life by an independent collective of female dancers, musicians, and visual artists from Ukraine. Forged in the fires of war, where many women have voluntarily taken up arms or dedicated themselves to activism, this performance explores the collective experience of womanhood, unfolding as a ceremonial stage expression.
The title Cossachka evokes the legend of the women warriors, amazons, who once roamed the lands of contemporary Ukraine, marking their appearance by the braids they wore (cosy/kosy in Ukrainian).
Cossachka is a poetic exploration of the female gaze on war and crisis, and the preservation of identity in the face of colonialism. It challenges traditional narratives, presenting a non-heroic, but rather a space holder perspective on resilience amidst catastrophe.
The production weaves together contemporary dance, live singing, and live electronic music.
Break - During the break, there will be video projections of Ukrainian dance films part of the Let The Body Speak project
ANNIHILATION: Yaroslav Kainar
Annihilation is a purely scientific term, but in the context of dance, it is combined with contemporary art, becoming the engine of performance, an irreversible process.
In his solo Yaroslav Kainar goes to a special state in which he is able to perceive the most invisible vibrations of the outside world. At the time of the performance, it becomes an archiving substance that responds to every impulse: sound, light, vibration. It is both fragile and graceful.
After-talk. Following the performances, the audience is invited to join the artists for an open discussion and conversation about the work.
24.10.2026 I 18:00
MAZE WITHOUT A MINOTAUR: Mariia Bakalo I Performance
A journey fragmented by reflections, stories, and testimonies of russian crimes against humanity. Family photos, a safety thread, a care-full net, and a fundamental question are laid bare. The Greek myth of the Minotaur is utilized as a symbol of the ongoing national violence perpetrated against Ukraine. As long as the Minotaur keeps committing violence in my home, I will lead you through his labyrinth here in your city.
A participatory, immersive performance that contains potentially triggering images, objects, documentary video and sound materials of military forces.
Break
Memory House: Polina Pohozha (Piano) I Concert
Memory House is a controlled improvisational piece shaped over years of improvising and listening. Its material comes from Polina’s own sound memories —fragments of places, voices, gestures, textures, and moments that have stayed with her. In the performance, these memories are revisited and transformed through a form that is never completely fixed.