Inspiration in the classroom:guest lectures on art historyfor future choreographers

Guest lectures are always an opportunity to broaden the horizons of the educational process and hear the lived experience of professionals who shape contemporary artistic thought. Inviting guest experts allows future specialists to gain unique knowledge that goes beyond textbooks and opens new perspectives for professional growth.

As part of the academic course “History of Arts” (instructor – Assoc. Prof. Yuliia Taranenko), a series of guest lectures was held by dance researcher, choreographer, performer, and senior researcher at the Museum of the Ukrainian Diaspora in Kyiv, Svitlana Oleksiuk, for first-year students of the first (bachelor’s) level of higher education, specialty V.6. Performing Arts, specialization V6.03. Choreographic Art.

Svitlana Oleksiuk prepared fascinating material on Commedia dell’arte and early 20th-century non-ballet dance in Ukraine, which she has studied in depth.

Throughout the meetings, students not only learned unique historical facts and little-known sources but also discussed the origins of modern dance, the development of non-ballet forms, and their influence on the formation of Ukrainian stage traditions. The lecturer’s lively and emotional presentation encouraged active dialogue, inspired students to pursue their own research, and deepened their understanding of artistic processes of the early 20th century.

We express our gratitude to Svitlana Oleksiuk for the engaging and exclusive material, for her professionalism, profound knowledge, and ability to present complex art-historical concepts in an accessible form, as well as for contributing to the cultural worldview of the student community!

Based on materials from the Department of Choreography and Fitness