Andrij Cybyk is American by birth, Ukrainian by heritage and Gypsy at heart. He began his dance training in Ohio, where he studied Ukrainian and Character dance with Dave Wozniak and Markian Komichak in the ensemble Kashtan and Ballet at the University of Akron Conservatory of Dance. When he was a teen, Mr. Wozniak took Andrij to his first Dance Camp with Roma Pryma Bohachevsky. Two years later, he began attending her Dance Workshop at Verkhovyna, a training ground for the best Ukrainian Character dancers in North America and was invited to perform with Syzokryli, her New York based dance ensemble.
Andrij attended Duquesne University and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Psychology and Philosophy. While at Duquesne, he broadened his dance training and experience by performing over 360 shows with the Duquesne University Tamburitzans.
In the Tamburitzans, he had the opportunity to study with some of the world’s greatest masters of Eastern European Folk dance including Vasillii Mountian, Dimiter Manov, Zelco Jergan, Elaina Lindtnerova-Kraslakova, Zoltan Zurawski and Dragan Kovacevic.
After graduating the ensemble and spending yet another of many summers dancing for and assisting Roma Pryma Bohachevsky, Andrij went to Ukraine and attended the Virsky School of Academic Ukrainian Folk Dance in Kyiv, Ukraine. He graduated with the title Artist of Ballet and returned to the United States.
He now lives in Queens, New York and pursues dancing full time. He has been featured as a guest artist and principal dancer for the following dance companies: Anglo-American Ballet Company, Brighton Ballet Theater, Connecticut Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, Shore Ballet Company, Michael Mao Dance, Nai Ni Chen Dance Company, and the ALLNATIONS Dance Company, and Barynya.
Sunday, January 10, 2010, 8:40PM, 9:40PM, 10:40PM,
APAP booking conference NYC Hilton, Morgan Suite, 2 Floor
1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019
Ensemble Barynya was touring the state of OHIO as part of the Ohio Arts Council’s Summer International Music and Performing Arts in Communities Tour (IMPACT). Barynya performed many shows, Russian & Ukrainian dance workshops from July 17 to July 28, 2007. Performance locations included Lakeside, Warren, Marietta, Jackson and Grandview Heights. All performances were free and open to the public.
July 3, 2007. Lions Clubs International 90th Convention in Chicago, IL
ENSEMBLE BARYNYA PERFORMANCE AT THE
Lions Clubs International 90th Convention in Chicago, IL at the
Hilton Hotel for the Russian Evening Event on Sunday, July 3rd, 2007.
On the photo from left to right: dancer Natalia Ejova, Mikhail Smirnov (garmoshka), Jim Cox (contrabass), Alex Siniavski (balalaika), and dancer Andrij Cybyk... view full size picture
May 2007. Russian Nobility Ball-2007 in New York City
The Russian Nobility Association in America annual Spring Russian Nobility
Ball took place at the luxurious "Pierre" Hotel on May 11, 2007 in New York City.
Musicians and dancers of New York based Russian dance and music ensemble Barynya (full company)
provided music for coctail hour and thirty minute music and dance program during the dinner. "Barynya" performed popular Russian Gypsy pieces: "Two Guitars", "Kay One", "Vingerka", "3 lines", Russian favorite balalaika arrangement "The Moon is shining brightly" and Cossack song and dance "Varen'ka"
April 2007. The Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood, Ohio
Andrij Cybyk, Mikhail Nesterenko and Vitaly Verterich are performing Cossack Dance
Andrij Cybyk and Ganna Makarova are performing Gypsy Dance
Andrij Cybyk with Russian folk ensemble Barynya, New York City, 2005
Ukrainian National Dance Hopak in Hong Kong, 2005
Ukrainian national dance Hopak video 1 min 38 sec.
Dancers Andrij Cybyk,
Lew Iwashko and
Stefan Kuziw performance in November 2005 in Hong Kong at the huge corporate party.
The stage however was a bit small for three dancers but guys managed to get everybody to go completely crazy about their Ukrainian Cossack style dancing.
VIDEO SAMPLES: Ukrainian dance Hopak
Ukrainian folk dance Hopak also spelled as Gopak originally was a dance for men only.
Later it was performed by couples, male soloists, and mixed groups of dancers.
In the western Ukraine it was danced in a closed circle. The Hopak has no fixed pattern of steps.
Men competitively improvise steps, high leaps, squatting kicks, and turns; women dance simple steps,
sway, clap, or circle... more
Missouri Southern State University, Joplin , MO. October 28, 2004.
Traditional Russian dance "Quadrille" or Kadril is a well-known dance of Moscow suburbs. Recorded during ensemble Barynya concert in Missouri Southern State University. Joplin, Missouri, October 28, 2004. Dancers: Vitaly Verterich, Mikhail Nesterenko, Andrij Cybyk, Olga Chpitalnaia, Ganna Makarova.
Barynya Entertainment established in 1991 (on-line since 1998). Cabaret, Vegas, can-can, musicians, singers, masters of ceremonies, folk dancers, wedding bands, disc jockeys, jazz, storytellers, folk dance troupes, traditional music ensembles, Bellydancers, Jewish, Ukrainian, Gypsy, one-man-bands.