Choreographer Valery Debelyy built the Kalyna Ensemble around a fairly simple idea: that art’s job is to make different people share the same laughter and tears, regardless of language or background. It shows in the company’s approach — rather than pushing dancers toward a single uniform technique, Debelyy encourages individual style and character work alongside the steps themselves, building performers who bring a distinct personality to the stage rather than just clean execution.
Kalyna operates as a genuine blend of folk music, choral singing and choreography, drawing repertoire from across Ukraine — west to east — and staging full ceremonial cycles built around “Spring,” harvest (“Obzhynky”), Christmas and wedding traditions, alongside folk “musicals” that dramatize these rituals rather than simply presenting them. That range, paired with elaborate costuming and tightly unified staging, has carried the ensemble to competitions and festivals across Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, China, Korea, Indonesia, Chile, Egypt, Israel and Italy, drawing standing ovations at every stop.
Workshop Tour participants who’ve trained with Kalyna have come away with more than technique — a real sense of Debelyy’s own dedication, and a direct connection to a cast, past and present, that has spent years building a repertoire meant to move an audience regardless of what language they walk in speaking.
