Veryonka National Folk Ensemble brings a taste of Ukraine to Bradford.

During the Glasnost and Perestroika era of the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Ukrainian diaspora in the UK took advantage of a slightly more relaxed approach to international travel and invited cultural groups from Ukraine to visit the UK to perform.

These visits sometimes corresponded with larger cultural festivals such as the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales, or regional arts events such as the Bradford Festival. Prior to this, other diaspora arts groups had toured in Europe, North America and Canada, but it was very rare for groups from Ukraine to do the same. This period was a time of cultural revival and a hope that Ukrainian culture could be opened up for the world to share and enjoy.

Today, the choir's repertoire is wide-ranging to reflect the breadth of Ukrainian folk and traditional music. This includes historical Duma, kozak and Chumak songs and dances, regional songs and dances from across the whole of Ukraine and ritual lyrics sung at family, religious and social events, original compositions and songs from other nations.

The arrangement and performance style is equally broad, from ethnic and folk performances to classical and contemporary arrangements.

This video documents a concert performed by the Veryovka National Folk Ensemble from Ukraine at the Alhambra theatre in Bradford. This is an excerpt from a final edited version with various camera angles and inset views. Veryovka were in Bradford as part of the Bradford Festival and performed two nights at the Alhambra, 12 and 15 September, 1991, this film being a recording of the latter. The performance begins with the singing of Prayer for Ukraine (Boze Velikiy Yedyniy), performed by the whole choir.