The Ukrainian Dancers of Miami
2024 Heritage Award Winners
For 75 years, the Ukrainian Dancers of Miami have preserved and promoted Ukraine’s culture through traditional music and dance performances. Composed of Ukrainians and Ukrainian-Americans, the Ukrainian Dancers of Miami are committed to educating others in the traditions of their ethnic heritage and keeping the legacy of Ukrainian dance alive. Operating out of the Ukrainian-American Club of Miami, they are one of Miami’s oldest continuously operated traditional dance troupes. Founded by Taras Maksymovich in 1941, the Ukrainian Dancers of Miami first performed at a 1949 YMCA festival. Now directed by Taras’ granddaughter Donna Maksymowich-Waskiewicz, the ensemble performs dances from several regions of Ukraine, from Poltava to Hutsulshchyna, wearing traditional costumes that are authentic to each region. The troupe also hosts an annual “Ukrainian Montage” performance, now in its 30th year, at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. In addition to this annual show and its many presentations across the state, the ensemble participates in the various cultural events and holidays celebrated by the Ukrainian community. In 2021, they performed at CultureFest 305 at the HistoryMiami museum and served as HistoryMiami’s folklife Artists-in-Residence in 2022. Since the beginning of the Ukraine War in 2022, they have used their performances to raise funds to support refugees from that war. An ensemble made of Ukrainian-Americans of all ages, the Ukrainian Dancers of Miami dance troupe is dedicated to the proliferation of traditional arts as well as the vitality of the social lives of Miami’s Ukrainian community.
