Harmony Waves International Festival | Croatia, July 13–15, 2025

From July 13 to July 15, 2025, the open-air stages of Umag and Biograd na Moru hosted the Harmony Waves International Festival in Croatia. Ukrainian folk dance was presented on the Adriatic coast as a living and contemporary form of cultural expression, connecting tradition with present-day stage practice.

Set against the Adriatic horizon, Ukrainian dance unfolded as a dynamic cultural language — rooted in heritage and continuously evolving.

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Harmony Waves International Festival in Croatia

The Harmony Waves International Festival brought together Ukrainian dance ensembles from Canada and the United States, presenting Ukrainian culture through open-air performances.

Festival concerts took place on:

 

• • July 13, 2025 — Umag

• • July 15, 2025 — Biograd na Moru

The open-stage format allowed choreography to engage directly with the urban and natural landscapes of the Adriatic coast.

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Festival Participants

The Harmony Waves International Festival in Croatia featured:

 

• • Zorya Ukrainian Dance Association (Canada)

• • Kvitka Ukrainian School of Dance (Canada)

• • Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Ensemble (Minneapolis, USA), represented by the Strumok and Bureviy groups

• • Bratstva Studios Ukrainian Dance

Each ensemble presented its own interpretation of Ukrainian folk dance, shaped by long-standing practice and intergenerational continuity within Ukrainian communities in Canada and the United States.

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Project Significance

The Harmony Waves International Festival in Croatia represented a sustained cultural presence built on collaboration and shared artistic standards. The ensembles presented diverse stage interpretations of Ukrainian folk dance, featuring dances from different regions of Ukraine — including Bukovyna, Hutsulshchyna, the Central Ukraine region, and others — shaped by decades of practice and the intergenerational continuity of Ukrainian communities in Canada and the United States.

 

Through movement and collective stage experience, Ukrainian culture was presented to an international audience as a cohesive, living, and evolving cultural form.

During the festival days, dance became a means of cultural connection and continuity within a contemporary context.