Dance intensive as a space for professional growth and student experience

From March 16 to 22, 2026, the city of Drohobych in the Lviv region became a center of creativity, inspiration, and professional development. It was here that the dance intensive “The Art of Movement,” aimed at enhancing choreographic skills, took place. For the second time, the event brought together students, teachers, and artists, confirming its relevance and significance in the training of future choreographers.

The intensive was organized by the Department of Choreography and Fitness of Berdyansk State Pedagogical University, headed by Yuliia Taranenko, with the support of Rector, Professor Ihor Bohdanov, in cooperation with Drohobych State Pedagogical University.

At a time when distance learning has become common practice, such initiatives are of particular value. The intensive provided a unique opportunity to step away from the online format and immerse in live communication, to feel the energy of shared space, partnership in dance, and the real rhythm of student life. It is in such environments that not only professional skills are developed, but also a sense of community, trust, and mutual support.

The program of the intensive was rich and multidimensional, combining education, creativity, and psychological recovery. An important starting point was the psychological training “Territory of Trust: The Birth of a Team,” conducted by Marina Kozubenko, Bachelor of Psychology, Master of Choreography, and senior lecturer of the Department of Choreography and Fitness. The training helped participants open up, establish communication, and form a cohesive creative team.

Equally valuable were informal meetings — “evening gatherings” in the dormitory organized by the head of the student council, Oleksandra Bartoshevych. It is in such relaxed settings that authentic student experience is formed — something that cannot be recreated online.

A special place in the program was given to an educational visit to the Honored Academic Prykarpattia Song and Dance Ensemble of Ukraine “Verkhovyna” (Director Serhii Dmytriiev). During the meeting “Art in Process: Observing, Analyzing, Learning,” participants immersed themselves in a professional environment, observed the work of performers, and learned directly from stage practitioners. A particularly valuable experience was a professional classical dance class with the ensemble’s artists, joined by our choreography students.

The practical component of the intensive included a series of master classes. In particular, a class in Ukrainian folk stage dance “Western Code of Movement” was conducted by senior lecturer and “Verkhovyna” ensemble artist Marina Kozubenko, focusing on regional features of movement and style.

Contemporary dance practices were explored during a basic workshop in Contact Improvisation (Contact Impro), conducted by Yuliia Taranenko. Students from both Berdyansk State Pedagogical University and Drohobych State Pedagogical University participated. They explored interaction, trust, improvisational thinking, and body awareness.

Another highly valuable experience was attending a ballet class with artists of the Lviv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Solomiia Krushelnytska. The visit was organized for teachers and students by university graduate and ballet artist Maryna Huleha, at the initiative of Yuliia Taranenko. The class was conducted by Artistic Director of the Ballet, Honored Artist of Ukraine Andrii Musorin. Such experiences allow students to directly engage with the high standards of academic art, gain inspiration, and strengthen their motivation for continuous professional growth.

The professional development continued with a Contemporary Dance laboratory in Lviv, led by Associate Professor, PhD Yuliia Skyba at the Lychakiv Center for Children and Youth Creativity. Participants worked with modern techniques, explored their physicality, learned dance combinations, and expanded their creative boundaries.

In addition, the intensive included an art therapy training “In Search of Inner Resources,” conducted by Yuliia Taranenko; a board games evening; a themed “Inside Out Evening” organized by active students; a professional photoshoot in stage costumes; and a practice-oriented exchange of experience among participants. This diversity of formats contributed not only to the development of professional skills but also to emotional recovery, which is especially important in today’s conditions.

The final highlight of the intensive was a concert program, which convincingly demonstrated the high level of training of students in the “Choreography” educational program at Berdyansk State Pedagogical University. The very format of the dance intensive proved to be an effective practical demonstration of learning outcomes, where theoretical knowledge transforms into professional skills, stage confidence, and creative thinking.

An important component was also inter-university interaction with teachers and students of Drohobych State Pedagogical University, in particular cooperation with Associate Professor Petro Fryz, PhD in Art Studies. This contributed to experience exchange, expansion of professional horizons, and the formation of a shared artistic environment.

The experience of organizing and conducting the dance intensive demonstrates not only a high level of professional training but also a continuous стремнення to improvement, openness to new practices, and readiness to meet the modern challenges of choreographic education.