Lehenda Ukrainian Dance Company: Celebrating over a Decade of Dance and Culture
Lehenda opened its doors on 12 February 2014 with a single vision: to celebrate and share Ukrainian culture through the art of dance. What began as a small ripple has spread across more than a decade, with an extraordinary impact on Ukrainian culture, on our community here in Australia, on our Lehenda family, and on you, our audience.
Lehenda has grown from a small ensemble into a dance company recognised both nationally and internationally. This has only been possible through hard work and commitment, and through the unwavering support of our patrons, sponsors, partners and donors. The company's repertoire spans a wide range of traditional Ukrainian dances, each with its own intricate footwork, dynamic energy and elaborate costumes reflecting the diverse regions of Ukraine.
Our debut performance at Hopak in the Park in 2014 set the stage for what was to come. That same year, Kazka premiered and quickly became a cornerstone of our repertoire. Kazka captivated audiences across Australia, the USA and Canada, with performances in Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, Geelong, Toronto, Chicago, Wilmington and New York, showcasing the company internationally for the first time.
In 2017, Lehenda unveiled Kyiv and Legend – Stories of a Nation, adding new depth to our artistic narrative. The 2018 tour of Legend – Stories of a Nation took the company to Melbourne, Alice Springs, Brisbane, Sydney and Geelong, further establishing our presence in the Australian arts landscape. Throughout our history, Lehenda has performed at prestigious events and festivals across Australia and beyond, each performance a testament to our dedication to artistic excellence.
Lehenda's commitment to cultural education and community engagement has been a fundamental part of our mission. The company has conducted numerous workshops, masterclasses, and educational programs, sharing the beauty and significance of Ukrainian dance with people of all ages and backgrounds. Through these efforts, Lehenda has fostered a deep appreciation for Ukrainian culture within the broader Australian community. This can be seen most clearly since 2018, where Lehenda has been a vibrant part of the Moomba Parade, often featured in the media, as well as Pako Festa which has given us a platform to publicly celebrate and promote Ukrainian culture, solidifying our position and voice as a community within an Australian multicultural sphere.Since our inception, we have also been involved in a number of performance art installations with artist Eva Heiky Olga Abbinga, most notably The Well and The Arrival of the Rajar.
In 2019, the company embarked on the Razom Australia tour with Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company of Edmonton, forming bonds and creative partnerships across the world. Together we performed in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne, united in the spirit of Ukrainian cultural ambassadorship.
The pandemic of 2020–2021 posed great challenges, but Lehenda adapted by moving rehearsals online. With theatres dark and stages silent, we turned to film as a new way to preserve and express our identity as Australian Ukrainians. Necessity truly was the mother of invention. Filming began on the first chapter of our film series, Pryvit, set among the golden wheat fields of Avoca, Victoria, a setting that echoed our connection to land, heritage and memory.
2022 and 2023 saw the introduction of Ukrainian Soul, Australian Soil, with performances in Melbourne and Bendigo. 2023 was also highlighted by the premiere of the film Pryvit, a significant milestone in Lehenda's artistic journey. In 2024, Kazka returned to the stage, bringing its enchanting storytelling to a new generation of audiences.
Moved by the response to Pryvit, we expanded our vision. In 2025, we filmed Melbourne Hopak, reimagining Ukraine's most iconic and spirited dance within the urban heart of Melbourne. Filmed by Edit Life Media and the incredible Ethan Berends, the work set rural against metropolitan and tradition against reinterpretation, exploring the dualities of our diasporic experience. Melbourne Hopak has received international recognition, including:
Winner, Best Dance Film – Experimental, Dance & Music Festival 2025
Winner, Award of Merit – Global Shorts 2026
Winner, Honorable Mention – One-Reeler Short Film Competition 2026
Winner, Best Cultural Heritage Film – Tokyo Film Festival 2026
Official Selection – Utah Film Festival 2026
Official Selection – Inspired Film Festival 2026
Melbourne Hopak premiered as part of Two Ways to Dance, presented on 9 November 2025 at The Capitol, RMIT University. Part stage performance and part film installation, Two Ways to Dance blended live Ukrainian folk dance with its cinematic reimagining. Across four chapters, including Pryvit, urban reflections from Lehenda dancers, regional dances and Melbourne Hopak, the work explored migration and cultural survival, the role of media in shaping memory, and the power of art in times of war and displacement. It marked a bold step for Lehenda into contemporary, cross-medium work.
Lehenda is now working on its next major production, Vesnyanka, a new three-act dance-theatre work written by Melanie Moravski Dechnicz and Stephan Moravski and inspired by Ukrainian spring songs and folk tradition. For this production, Lehenda has partnered with Kalyna Folk Group from Ukraine, led by composer and conductor Anastasiia Komlikova, to create an original score. This international collaboration connects our dancers in Australia directly with musicians in Ukraine, bringing new Ukrainian music to life on the Australian stage.
The Lehenda School
Every tree has its roots. Alongside the company's success, The Lehenda School, which opened with the company in 2014, has grown into a crucial educational pillar, nourishing the company from the ground up. The school's first National Winter School in 2014 marked the beginning of its educational mission. Classical ballet and acrobatics classes were introduced in 2016, and in 2018 the school's concert The Dolls travelled to Sydney.
Since 2016, Lehenda educators have delivered incursions to primary and high schools across Victoria, sharing knowledge of Ukrainian culture, geography and dance with the broader community.
The school expanded further in 2019 with the introduction of the Ballet Conservatoire syllabus, allowing students to sit ballet exams. The Winter School program also resumed in 2019 and remains a staple of the school's calendar. During the 2020–2021 lockdowns, the school quickly moved classes online to ensure continuity of education, and our 2020 concert was successfully held online.
In 2021, the school began preparing students in Ukrainian dance and classical ballet solos for competitions. Individual students and class groups have since competed not only in Australia but also online in Canada and Ukraine.
Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, The Lehenda School welcomed newly arrived children and two teaching staff from Ukraine, further enriching our community. The school performs regularly at community events, festivals and concerts, including our annual theatre concert at St Bernard's.
In 2023, The Lehenda School partnered with Mordialloc Light Opera Company for ten performances of Fiddler on the Roof at The Alex Theatre, St Kilda, featuring our Youth Company students as dancers.
Looking Ahead
Over the past decade, Lehenda Ukrainian Dance Company has performed 192 times, including 28 original stage productions, and The Lehenda School has presented 91 performances, including 12 of its own stage productions. Both have had the honour of collaborating with many talented individuals, whose contributions we proudly acknowledge.
In 2027 as we enter our 14th year, we look back with pride on our achievements and look forward to continuing our mission of cultural preservation and artistic innovation. With a strong foundation built on passion, talent and community support, Lehenda is poised to inspire future generations and keep the spirit of Ukrainian dance alive for many years to come.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported and contributed to our journey. Here's to the next decade of celebrating and proudly sharing Ukrainian culture through dance!