Creativity, mastery and professional growth: The First Stage of the All-Ukrainian Student Olympiad in Choreography Held at the Department of Choreography and Fitness

On March 13, 2026, the Department of Choreography and Fitness of Berdyansk State Pedagogical University hosted the first stage of the All-Ukrainian Student Olympiad in Choreography. The event was held online in a synchronous format and brought together students of the first (Bachelor’s) level of higher education in the specialties “Choreography” / B6 “Performing Arts” who are currently located in different regions of Ukraine and abroad.

The Olympiad is an important component of the professional training of future choreographers and an effective form of academic and creative development for higher education students. Participation allows students to demonstrate the level of their professional competencies, improve their professional skills, and reveal their individual creative potential.

The participants competed in two main categories. Students of the 1st–3rd years of study in the specialties “Choreography” / B6 “Performing Arts” completed competition tasks aimed at determining the basic level of formation of professional choreographic competencies. At the same time, 4th-year students presented the results of their training that reflected a higher level of professional mastery and the ability to creatively interpret choreographic material.

The competition tasks combined theoretical and practical components. The participants completed testing on the MOODLE platform, performed a pedagogical and methodological task, presented an essay on one of the selected topics related to the image of a choreographer and their professional mission, and also demonstrated their performing skills through an original dance composition. The themes of the creative works were dedicated to the cultural traditions of the Ukrainian people and current trends in the development of contemporary Ukrainian society. This stage made it possible to objectively assess the level of performing and choreographic (ballet-master) competence of future choreographers.

The evaluation was conducted by an authoritative jury consisting of stakeholders and lecturers of the Department of Choreography and Fitness of BSPU.

The jury was chaired by Yuliia Taranenko, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Choreography and Fitness. The jury members included: Nadiia Uchkina, member of the working group of the educational program “Choreography”, graduate of 2015, Excellence in Education award holder, methodologist and artistic director of the “People’s Artistic Collective” Theatre-Studio Musical Fairy Tale of the extracurricular education institution of the Khortytskyi District of Zaporizhzhia City Council; Tetiana Furmanova, Head of the Department of Education of the Berdyansk City Council; Yuliia Skyba, PhD, Associate Professor of the Department of Choreography and Fitness and leader of a choreography club at the Lychakiv House of Children and Youth Creativity in Lviv; Olena Martynenko, Associate Professor of the Department, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Honored Worker of Culture of Ukraine; and senior lecturers Nataliia Kryvun and Maryna Kozubenko.

According to the results of the competition, the winners of the first stage of the All-Ukrainian Student Olympiad were 4th-year student Khrystyna Omelchenko and 2nd-year students Oleksandra Bartoshevych and Alina Shyp (specialty 024 Choreography).

Second places were awarded to 2nd-year student Mariia Taranenko and 3rd-year student Valeriia Mordvinova (specialty 024 Choreography).

Third places were awarded to 1st-year students Kateryna Hrudiienko and Neonila Derbenova (specialty B6 Performing Arts).

The friendly atmosphere of communication contributed to positive results in the development of theoretical and methodological competencies of future specialists. It also highlighted issues that require further work by the department’s teaching staff in updating the content of educational programs and teaching methods, while allowing students to demonstrate their level of professional training and receive evaluation from a competent jury.