The journey of the human spirit in a woman’s body. The experimental performance “Mower” returns to the stage – News

The visual performance “Kosachka”, which united independent Ukrainian choreographers, dancers, musicians and visual artists, is returning to the Ukrainian stage. After the Kyiv premiere, which was sold out on December 3, the team continued work on the project and will soon show “Kosachka” twice: on March 17 in Kyiv and March 20 in Khmelnytskyi.

“Kosachka” was created based on an original script and is dedicated to the women who are currently defending Ukraine. “I’m interested in the topic of development and strengthening the spirit,” says director Yulia Lopata. “The idea for the play was born from the fact that I observed how strong women are around me, including in my own family, and thought about how the choice is born – to be resilient and protect what is important.”

“Kosachka” combines modern dance and electronic music, myth and reality, past and present. After the successful premiere at the Kyiv Opera, the project team continues to develop the play’s material, so in March the audience will see its updated version — but just as full of symbols and references to world and Ukrainian culture.

“Kosachka” is a performance-ritual, a myth about the journey of the human spirit in a woman’s body, the continuous circle of life. “We are investigating phenomena related to the universal nature of women, experimenting with artifacts of time, digitizing folk singing and the sound of bandura, which was specially recorded for us by Volodymyr Voit,” says composer Olena Shikina, a graduate of the module exchange electronic music school. Together with actress and vocalist Solomiya Kyrylova (“Pamfir”, “Leopolis Night”), Olena will perform the music of “Kosachka” live.

The author of the choreography of “Kosachki” is independent choreographer Halyna Pekha, who works on the performance, updating its material, together with her modern dance team Procontemporary. Artist Asya Sutyagina, known for her works in Ukrainian cinema (“Home”, “Luxembourg, Luxembourg”, “My thoughts are quiet”), created handmade costumes that highlight various aspects of women’s experiences and images of women in mythology. American playwright Paul Bargetto also participated in the preparation of updated shows, for whom this is not the first post-war experience of working with Ukrainian theater and dance artists.

Dates: Kyiv: March 17, 2024

Kyiv Opera House (Mezhihirska St., 2)

Tickets: https://concert.ua/uk/event/dance-performance-cossachka

Khmelnytskyi: March 20, 2024 Khmelnytskyi Regional Philharmonic (Heroiv Mariupolya, 7)

Tickets:

Authors of the play

Director Yulia Lopata together with Kyiv independent modern dance team PROcontemporary and its founder – choreographer Halyna Pekha. The team has been active for 6 years, creating performances, conducting workshops and research practices of the movement throughout Ukraine.

Dancers: Kateryna Bysheva, Kateryna Kurman, Tetyana Ryabtsun, Daryna Samoilova, Nadine Kupets.

Vocalist and performer: Solomiya Kyrylova

Composer and performer of music: Olena Shikina Costume designer: Asya Sutyagina

Artist from light: Olena Antokhina

Producer: Polina Bulat