FOLK DANCE ENSEMBLE "VARVINOK-CONCERT"
About the collective
FOLK DANCE ENSEMBLE
“BARVINOK-CONCERT”
of the Center for Culture and Leisure of the Borshchahivka Village Council
Bucha District, Kyiv Region
The “BARVINOK-CONCERT” folk dance ensemble was established at the Center for Culture and Leisure of the Borshchahivka Village Council in October 2023. The initiative to create the ensemble came from graduates of the “Barvinok” People’s Folk Dance Ensemble.
The newly established ensemble was headed by Maksym Karpenko, Honored Artist of Ukraine, who performed with the National Honored Academic Dance Ensemble of Ukraine named after Pavlo Virsky from 2003 to 2023 and also worked as a choreographer and rehearsal coach for the “Barvinok” People’s Folk Dance Ensemble at the Borshchahivka School of Arts.
The emergence of “Barvinok-Concert” marked a natural continuation of the creative journey of an entire generation of performers. Having completed their performances with children’s and youth ensembles from various parts of Ukraine, the dancers were given a unique opportunity to continue developing in the field of folk choreography, preserve ancient traditions, and present Ukrainian art at a high professional concert level. Today, the ensemble harmoniously combines experience, skill, and the energy of young performers.
From its very first months, the ensemble embarked on an active touring schedule both in Ukraine and abroad, including France, Switzerland, Poland, Liechtenstein, and Canada.
A special chapter in the ensemble’s work is its charitable mission. Together with the “Ukrainian Patriot” volunteer movement, the performers brought the patriotic project “Defending the Ukrainian Soul” to life, presenting a series of performances in frontline and de-occupied communities, including Izium, Kramatorsk, Barvinkove, and Sloviansk-Druzhkivka.
In early 2026, “Barvinok-Concert,” together with the “Barvinok” folk dance ensemble, launched a new large-scale choreographic platform called “UNITED by UKRAINIAN DANCE.”
This ambitious project aims to unite dance ensembles, choreographers, performers, and like-minded people to implement joint artistic initiatives, create spectacular concert programs, and promote Ukrainian dance around the world. “UNITED by UKRAINIAN DANCE” is a space for creative collaboration, the exchange of experience, and the emergence of bold new ideas. It seeks to bring together ensembles of different styles and generations around a shared value — a love of Ukrainian culture.
The platform has already made a strong impression on the international stage. During a major European tour spanning Switzerland, Liechtenstein, France, Poland, and Germany, three powerful artistic forces came together under the project:
The “Barvinok” People’s Dance Ensemble;
The “Barvinok-Concert” Folk Dance Ensemble;
The Kyiv Municipal Academy of Dance named after Serge Lifar.
The community’s primary goal is not only to preserve Ukraine’s choreographic heritage but also to develop it dynamically, exploring new forms, opportunities, and ways of presenting Ukrainian art to the world.
UNITED by UKRAINIAN DANCE — united through Ukrainian dance!
