New costumes of the Verovka Choir divide Ukrainians: from praise for minimalism to accusations of ignorance of traditions

The National Merited Academic Folk Choir named after Hryhoriy Verovka has unveiled an updated stage look that stands out noticeably from the ensemble's usual costumes and has already sparked active discussion on social media. The choir posted a video of the new look on Instagram, and according to the outlet Wave RBC.UA, the refresh of the stage style was the result of a collaboration with the Ukrainian embroidered-clothing brand SVARGA. The ensemble explained that, while working on the costumes, the designers drew on traditional ornaments and embroidery techniques from various regions of Ukraine, aiming to create a unified yet regionally "quoting" image.

The "white on white" technique and ornaments from different regions

The key design decision was to execute the women's dresses and the men's shirts in the "white on white" technique, which is associated with Reshetylivka embroidery from the Poltava region. At the same time, the costumes incorporate motifs from different parts of the country: the women's dresses feature an ornament from Bukovyna, the men's shirts carry an interpretation of embroidery from the village of Netryba in the Rivne region, and the aprons display a reworked Pokuttia ornament, in particular motifs from Horodenka and Zaleschychky. Thus, the unified stage look is assembled from "quotes" of several ethnographic zones, which has become one of the points of tension in the debate.

Details of the new women's and men's look

The women's look is built around long, milky shirt-dresses with voluminous sleeves and delicate white embroidery; these are complemented by red aprons, multi-strand bead necklaces and wide red headbands. The men took the stage in white embroidered shirts and dark trousers. The overall effect is a more restrained, "lighter" one compared to the ensemble's familiar stage clichés, with an emphasis on the purity of the cut and the contrast between the white fabric and the red accents.

Online criticism: from "school uniform" to accusations of ignorance of the canon

Some Threads users subjected the designers' work to harsh criticism, accusing it of ignorance of Ukrainian traditions and an incorrect combination of folk-costume elements. Commenters pointed to the absence of belts, the specifics of the apron cut, a departure from the traditional ensemble, and the pairing of the costumes with modern footwear. One of the authors, Ostian Bohomaz, asked why a national choir cannot showcase the beauty of a specific Volhynia, Sloboda region, Polesia, Pokuttia or Bukovyna "with their proportions, cut, materials, colours and ornamental system". Some viewers compared the men's look to a school uniform.

Contradictory data

Here two opposite assessments collide. On the one hand, the choir itself and the SVARGA brand claim that the costumes are built on the traditional ornaments and embroidery techniques of various regions, that is, that they represent a conscious interpretation of the folk heritage. On the other hand, critics insist that the combination of elements from different ethnographic zones, the absence of belts and the cut of the aprons violate the canons of the folk ensemble and point to a superficial attitude towards traditions. A third group of users, by contrast, came to the defence of the updated style, positively evaluating the move away from familiar stage clichés and the more restrained, "laconic" design. In other words, in the public sphere there is effectively no single verdict: one side sees in the costume a modern interpretation of the canon, the other — its distortion.

Conclusion: a dispute over the boundaries of tradition

The outcome of the presentation of the Verovka Choir's new look has been less an aesthetic than a methodological dispute over whether it is acceptable in a national ensemble to mix the ornamental systems of different regions into a single stage look, and how far one may depart from the ethnographic canon for the sake of a modern stage effect. While the discussion on social media continues, the updated look has already become part of the public agenda around how Ukrainian folk choreography and costume should look on stage today.