Roma Pryma-Bohachevsky ( uk, Рома Прийма-Богачевська, translit. ''Roma Pryima-Bohachevs'ka'') (1927 – May 23, 2004) was a

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

r and

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

, who instructed thousands of students in the art of

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

and

Ukrainian dance ''Ukrainian dance'' ( uk, Український тaнeць, translit. ''Ukrainian 'tanets' '') mostly refers to the traditional folk dances of the Ukrainians as an ethnic group, but may also refer dance of the other ethnic groups within Ukrain ...

Education

Roma Pryma was born into a musical family in

Przemyśl Przemyśl (; yi, פשעמישל, Pshemishl; uk, Перемишль, Peremyshl; german: Premissel) is a city in southeastern Poland with 58,721 inhabitants, as of December 2021. In 1999, it became part of the Subcarpathian Voivodeship; it was pr ...

, a city in present-day

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, but spent her formative years in

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...

, a city in present-day western

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

(at the time, part of a newly established Soviet republic). At the age of 5, her mother, Ivanna Pryma, sensing her daughter's talent for movement, enrolled her in

eurhythmics Dalcroze eurhythmics, also known as the Dalcroze method or simply eurhythmics, is one of several developmental approaches including the Kodály method, Orff Schulwerk and Suzuki Method used to teach music to students. Eurhythmics was developed ...

classes, as well as in the study of

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...

, under M. Bronevska, a disciple of

Mary Wigman Mary Wigman (born Karoline Sophie Marie Wiegmann; 13 November 1886 – 18 September 1973) was a German dancer and choreographer, notable as the pioneer of expressionist dance, dance therapy, and movement training without pointe shoes. She is co ...

. Between the years 1939–44, Roma began performing at the

Lviv Opera and Ballet Theater The Solomiya Krushelnytska Lviv State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet ( uk, Львівський Національний академічний театр опери та балету імені Соломії Крушельницької ...

, and after a year and a half, she moved up from serving in the

corps de ballet In ballet, the ''corps de ballet'' (; French for "body of the ballet") is the group of dancers who are not principal dancers or soloists. They are a permanent part of the ballet company and often work as a backdrop for the principal dancers. ...

, to small

solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...

roles of a

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

nature. Leaving her homeland after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Roma and her mother resettled in Austria in 1944, where after 3 years she graduated with honors from the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

and later became a soloist in the ballet group of the National Theater in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

. At this point, Roma turned away from pursuing a career dedicated to classical ballet and followed her roots in alternative expression. After a meeting with

Harald Kreutzberg Harald Kreutzberg (December 11, 1902 – April 25, 1968) was a German dancer and choreographer associated with the Ausdruckstanz movement, a form in which the individual, artistic expression of feelings or emotions is essential. Though largely fo ...

at his villa in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

, she began to focus on creating expressionistic choreographies.

Career

Ms. Bohachevsky's stage appearances included solo performances and concert tours of Europe, North America and Central America. Eventually, she turned to teaching and choreography, influenced by the methods of Agrippina Vaganova and Martha Graham, with whom she studied. Among Mrs. Bohachevsky's many choreographic creations are "Peer Gynt," "Kvit Paporoti" (Blossoming Fern), and "Cinderella," which have been danced over the years by hundreds of her students. At each summer camp, Mrs. Bohachevsky brought to life a Fairy Tale, weaving traditional and classical themes with imaginative staging, choreography, and costumes. The summer camps continue as of June, July, and August 2014 under her namesake at

Soyuzivka Soyuzivka Heritage Center (Ukrainian: Союзівка), also known as Soyuzivka, Suzi-Q, or the Q, is a Ukrainian cultural center located in the hamlet of Kerhonkson, New York in Ulster County, in the Shawangunk Ridge area south of the Catskill M ...

Ukrainian Heritage Center in the

Shawangunk Mountains Shawangunk ( ) may refer to: In New York *Shawangunk, New York, a town in Ulster County *Shawangunk Correctional Facility, in Ulster County *Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, in Ulster County *Shawangunk Kill, a tributary of the Wallk ...

of Kerhonkson, New York. More impressive choreographies are the ones she created specifically for the Syzokryli Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, composed of her most talented students. Each choreography brings out the beauty of the Ukrainian theme developed in the dance, interwoven with elements of ballet, modern and stylized folk dance. Among her creations are "Battle for Freedom," a dramatic ballet commemorating the tragedy of Chernobyl, and "Icona," a historical recreation celebrating the millennium of Christianity in Ukraine. Shortly, after her death, a concert performed in Lincoln Center showcased much of the work she had taught her students.

References

Bibliography

*Pasternakova, Maria (1964). ''Ukrainian Woman in Choreography'', Ukrainian Women's Association of Canada & Natalia Kobrynska Foundation.

External links

Roma Pryma Bohachevsky Ukrainian Dance Foundation
a
www.syzokryli.com
a
www.brama.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pryma-Bohachevsky, Roma 1927 births 2004 deaths Ballet teachers Ukrainian ballerinas Ukrainian choreographers