Roma Pryma-Bohachevsky

German, French, and English-speaking critics call Roma an outstanding dramatic dancer who tells about the world and people through her movements, reveals the secret of the subconscious human soul and connects it with the laws of the universe.

Maria Pasternak, art critic

Roma Pryma-Bohachevsky was a Ukrainian ballerina, prima ballerina of the Lviv Opera and the National Theater in Innsbruck, soloist of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, choreographer and teacher who popularized Ukrainian dance on the international stage.

She was born on March 3, 1927 in Przemysl, Poland. She is the daughter of Ukrainian pianist Ivanna Shmerikovska. From early childhood, she was fond of dance and studied in Lviv at the school of rhythmic dance under the system of Jaques-Dalcroze and modern dance under the system of Matilda Broniewska. In 1929–1942 she studied at the ballet school at the Lviv Opera House, where she gained her first stage experience. In 1942, she made her debut on the stage of the Lviv Opera, performing characteristic solo roles. At the outbreak of World War II, Roma left Ukraine and settled in Vienna, Austria, with her mother. In 1944, she entered the Vienna Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, graduating with honors. At the same time, she improved her dancing skills in the studio of Harald Kreutzberg, which significantly influenced her style and further career.
From 1947 to 1949, she was a prima ballerina at the Innsbruck and Salzburg theaters, performing also in cities in Austria and Switzerland with her mother, who accompanied her on the piano. In 1949, she joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Canada and later danced with Ruth Sorell’s company in Montreal (1949–1951). In 1951, Pryma-Bohachevsky moved to New York City, where she began a new phase in her career. She performed concerts in various countries of Europe and North America, creating unique choreographic images. Among her well-known productions: “The Horrors of War” (Frédéric Chopin), “Peer Gynt” (Henrik Ibsen) and “The Mermaid” (Antonín Dvořák).
In 1964, she founded her own school of ballet and folk dance in New York, as well as the youth ensemble Syzokryli, which became an important center for the development of Ukrainian dance in the United States. Pryma-Bohachevsky also organized summer courses in Ukrainian dance at the Verkhovyna and Soyuzivka youth camps. She actively worked on combining Ukrainian traditions with elements of modern dance and classical ballet.
Roma Pryma-Bohachevsky received numerous awards for her contribution to Ukrainian culture, including honors from the Ukrainian World Congress and the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America. In 1997, she was awarded the Order of Princess Olga, Third Class, for her significant contribution to the popularization of Ukrainian dance abroad.
She died on May 25, 2004, in New York City and was buried at St. Andrew’s Cemetery in South Bound Brook.