Ensemble Barynya singers, musicians and dancers

Barynya's director and founder, MIKHAIL SMIRNOV "Misha", recieved his Master's degree in folk chorus conducting from the Moscow State Academy of Culture and Arts. As a child, Mikhail was a member of the famous "Moscow Boys Chorus" - one of the most prestigious all-male choirs in Russia. Before coming to the United States in 1991, Mikhail was a choirmaster in a several Russian folk groups, soloist with the Moscow State Center for Russian Song, "Russkaya Pesnya", under the direction of Nadezhda Babkina. While studying in Moscow, Mikhail followed his passion for Russian folk song by traveling to many different regions of Russia such as Tver, Smolensk, Belgorod, and Don River to collect Russian folklore at its sourse. Songs, melodies, lyrics, and tunes change from village to village, even those as close as a couple of miles apart. In these folklore expeditions, he recorded over 100 hours of Russian folk music. Mikhail has incorporated much of this original material into his ensemble's repertoire. In addition to being a trained singer, Misha is adept on a variety of Russian folk instruments including balalaika, guitar, zhaleika, kugikly, balalaika-contrabass, svirel, and gusli. However, his favorite instrument remains the garmoshka, the small button accordion used in Russian folk music.

The group's musical director, Alex Siniavski "Alyosha", is an acclaimed balalaika and Gypsy guitar virtuoso. Alex graduated with honors from the Leningrad State Musical Conservatory. Prior to his arrival in the United States in 1992, he was a soloist with the Andreev State Symphonic Balalaika Ensemble, one of the most prestigious musical groups in the former USSR. Alyosha has toured throughtout the United States, the former Soviet Unioun, Europe and America, appeared on the television and radio in Russia, America and Africa. A respected teacher as well as a performer, Alex Siniavski has produced the first balalaika instructional course on DVD.

Acclaimed New York based contrabass balalaika player, Leonid Bruk was born in Leningrad, Russia. He graduated from music school as a bass guitarist and performed with many different groups. When he arrived in the United States in 1989 he became deeply attracted to the bass balalaika and balalaika contrabass. In 2000, he founded his own Russian folk music trio, "The Brooklyn Balalaikas", and has played with various folk groups including "Russian Carnaval" and "Barynya" and soon became known for his expertise in Russian traditional music.

Alexander Menshikov "Sasha" is considered to be one of the best performers in Russian Gypsy style in New York. He is a professional singer with many years of experience. Alexander is a native of the small town Bugulma, now Republic of Tatarstan. He studied singing in The Gnesin Academy of Russian Music in Moscow, Russia. In 1990 he performed in the Russian television show "Step to Parnas," which is similar to "American Idol" in the United States. Before he immigrated to the United States in 1992, Sasha was a rising star in Russia. His 1991 album released by Gala Records in Moscow ("My Dear Russia") is still widely available in record stores throughout Russia. The website www.Esenin.ru (dedicated to famous Russian poet Sergey Esenin) selected Sasha as the best singer of Esenin's lyrics. Alexander Petrovich Menshikov performed with ensemble Barynya for the first time in 1996.

Choreographer and dancer VITALY VERTERICH was born in 1967 in Sevastopol, Ukraine. He graduated from the Kiev Ballet School in 1986 and from Moscow Academy of Art in 1992. After performing as Principal Dancer with the National Folk Dance Company “Beriozka” for four years, he joined Russian Chamber Ballet Theatre “Moskva,” where he danced solo roles in both classical and contemporary ballets. At the same time, Mr. Verterich was often invited to perform as guest artist with the Bolshoi Theatre, the Kirov Ballet, and other Russian and international companies. In 1998, Mr. Verterich was offered the position of Principal Dancer with the Moscow Folk Ballet in the world’s hottest show that year - “Riverdance the Show” - created by Michael Flatley. After two years of intense touring in Europe, Australia, Canada, and America, the show took over the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway. It was renamed “Riverdance on Broadway” and Mr. Verterich accepted the position of Principal Dancer. Mr. Verterich is currently works with the New Jersey Ballet and is a resident faculty member at Valentina Kozlova’s Dance Conservatory of New York. Vitaly has joined ensemble Barynya in 2003.

Dance Captain Valentina Kvasova "Valeetsa" was born in Russia, in the city of Rostov-na-Donu, Cossack' s Capital of Russia, on August 25, 1976. After finishing of the formal education in Voronezh Choreographic School in 1994 she has been invited to The Don Cossacks State Academic Song and Dance Ensemble as the actress of ballet. Valentina Kvasova equally manages roles of lyrical, playful or comic characters. The dynamical, bright, sociable, talented person, Valentina is having recognition among professionals. Valeetsa has joined Russian folk dance and music ensemble Barynya in 2004 as a dancer and singer. In 2005 she has become a dance captain and choreographed a few dance numbers.

Russian folk dancer Olga Chpitalnaia from Brooklyn, New York has made the United States her home in 1992. She performed with Ukrainian Dance State Ensemble “Slavutich” and the “Russian song and dance ensemble of the Black Sea Navy Sailors”. Olga Chpitalnaia has joined ensemble Barynya in 2003.

Born in Odessa, Ukraine Ganna Makarova began her dance training at the world-renowned Moiseyev Dance Studio. After completing her training at the Moscow Academy of Performing Arts, she performed with a top Moscow theatre company and starred in several major motion pictures. In 1992, Ganna came to America and succeeded in graduating Magna Cum Laude from Long Island University. In 2001, she realized her dream of performing with Riverdance on Broadway. Ganna also toured with the Riverdance national tour and was a company member for five years with All Nations Dance Company. Ganna Makarova performed with ensemble Barynya for the first time in 1993.

Ukrainian folk dancer and choreographer ANDRIJ CYBYK is the only American born member of "Barynya". Of Ukrainian heritage, he began his training in the Cleveland area studying Ukrainian and Character dance with David Wozniak and Markian Komichak in the ensemble Kashtan and Ballet at the University of Akron Conservatory of Dance. When he was a teen, Mr. Wozniak took Andrij to his first Dance Camp with Roma Pryma Bohachevsky. Two years later, he began attending her Dance Workshop at Verkhovyna, a training ground for the best Ukrainian Character dancers in North America and was invited to perform with Syzokryli, New York based Ukrainian dance ensemble. Andrij attended Duquesne University and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Psychology and Philosophy. While at Duquesne, he broadened his dance training and experience by performing over 360 shows with the Duquesne University Tamburitzans. In the Tamburitzans, he had the opportunity to study with some of the world’s greatest masters of Eastern European Folk dance including Vasillii Mountian, Dimiter Manov, Zelco Jergan, Elaina Lindtnerova-Kraslakova, Zoltan Zurawski and Dragan Kovacevic. After graduating the ensemble and spending yet another of many summers dancing for and assisting Roma Pryma Bohachevsky, Andrij went to Ukraine and attended the Virsky School of Academic Ukrainian Folk Dance in Kyiv, Ukraine. He graduated with the title Artist of Ballet and returned to the United States. He now lives in New York City and pursues dancing full time. He has been featured as a guest artist and principal dancer for the following dance companies: Anglo-American Ballet Company, Brighton Ballet Theater, Connecticut Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, Shore Ballet Company, Michael Mao Dance, Nai Ni Chen Dance Company, and the ALLNATIONS Dance Company. He has also been a guest artist at numerous schools and for several occasions, including the Times Square Millennium Celebration.

Russian folk dancer Mikhail Nesterenko specializes in character dance as well as ballet. He has graduated from Voronezh Dance Academy in Russia and has worked for various dance companies in Russia including Rhythm Planet under direction of Boris Sankin (former first cast of famous Moyeseev Russian Folk Ensemble). Mikhail’s inborn talent was recognized very early and he was a winner of numerous junior dance competitions. In 1995 Mikhail Nesterenko toured all over Europe with the Dance group MVO, and in 1996 he joined renown Bim-Bom Dance Group and Lovushkin Circus and Folk Dance Company. Between 1997 and 1999 Mr. Nesterenko performed with Lovushkin Group at Cypress Gardens, Florida. Mikhail also performed Russian Trepak in the Nutcracker with the well-known Florida Dance Theater and featured as a principal dancer of the Niel Goldberg’s Cirgue at the Acuff Theater, Nashville, TN. In 2000 Mikhail Nesterenko was invited to perform with the United Art Corporation in New York as a soloist of Pototsky Dance Group, one of the first and most recognized Russian folk shows in the East Coast. Mikhail’s acrobatic skills and knowledge of Russian folklore enjoyed outstanding reviews. Mikhail started to perform with New York based Russian folk dance and music ensemble Barynya in 2004.

Barynya's vocal soloist VICTORIA PICHUROVA was born in Rostov on the Don. She is a former soloist with the Don Cossack State Ensemble and is one of the finest performers of traditional Cossack songs. Equally at home with Russian, Cossack, Ukrainian, and Gypsy folk songs, Victoria Pichurova's repertoire includes wide range of different genres: historical, lyrical, wedding ceremony, the Russian epics called bylina, romances, dance-songs, and chastushki. Many songs in her repertoire are 200 and 300 years old. Victoria performed with "Barynya" for the first time in 2005.