News

Celebrating 10 Years of LEHENDA

Lehenda Celebrates 10 Years of Ukrainian Dance at The National Theatre St Kilda on August 17th. This event will showcase the company and school dancers—a cast of over 100!—featuring iconic choreography, exquisite and authentic costumes, and the dynamic presence of Cossacks.

For 10 years, Lehenda’s mission has been to advocate for Ukraine and Ukrainian culture through dance to our fellow Australians and the world. Since the invasion of Ukraine two years ago, their mission is more important than ever.

Experience their iconic choreography, exquisite and authentic costumes and shoes, bespoke sets, props, and music. The performances will showcase Lehenda’s internationally acclaimed touring company of 30 talented dancers, demonstrating acrobatic athleticism and balletic beauty. It will also highlight the training program of The Lehenda School by featuring dancers of all ages and abilities, many of whom will graduate into the company as adults.

Artistic Director Melanie Moravski Dechnicz said:

I’m so excited to be celebrating our tenth anniversary! This concert is going to be the first of its kind for us, featuring both the school and the company. I look at our current Youth company dancers and am reminded of when they started as adorable 5 and 6-year-olds on the day the school opened. We have so many company dancers that have been through our school and they are now seeing the school rehearse pieces they danced when they were little. It’s all very nostalgic and brings back wonderful memories for us all.

Lehenda exists to validate, recreate, celebrate, and advocate for Ukrainian culture—through traditional and contemporary dance modalities. Celebrating 10 years of authentic, academic, and highly entertaining Ukrainian dance with Lehenda is the essence of this project.

Celebrate Ukrainian culture, its history, and the company and school of Lehenda Ukrainian Dance! Prepare to experience daring acrobatics and balletic beauty with a cast of 100+ showcasing Lehenda’s internationally acclaimed touring company alongside the dancers of the future, their school and youth company.


The 10 Year Celebration will be performed for one show only on Saturday 17th August at the National Theatre Melbourne.

For tickets and more information, visit the Lehenda website.

Gabi Bergman

Gabi Bergman (she/her) is a Melbourne-based performer and educator, and the current Deputy Editor-in-Chief of AussieTheatre.com. She holds a double degree in Theatre Studies and Film/Screen Studies, along with a Master of Teaching (Secondary Education). A passionate advocate for inclusion and diversity in the arts, Gabi brings her deep love of storytelling to the stage, the page, and the classroom. A lifelong lover of theatre, she spends more on tickets than she’d like to admit. Her most prized possession is her ever-growing collection of theatre programs.

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