Perform Ukraine 2026: CNAUI’s Department of Culture at the Kyiv forum
Департамент культури#Culture
CNAUI’s Department of Culture at Perform Ukraine 2026: stronger institutional ties and a new quality of cultural diplomacy
On 16–17 September 2026, Kyiv hosted Perform Ukraine 2026, a large-scale professional forum and the main meeting place for professionals in the performing arts sector.
For the fourth time, this major initiative was jointly organised by Creative Europe Desk Ukraine, the national office of the EU’s Creative Europe programme in Ukraine, and the charitable organisation Impulse Transformation Platform. Every year the event brings together hundreds of participants and industry professionals, creating a unique space to discuss challenges, funding opportunities, inclusion, mobility and the development of international cooperation. More about the forum’s concept and programme can be found on the organiser’s official page and in the project’s news.
Representation and a high mission
The Department of Culture of the National Congress of Ukrainian Associations in Italy (CNAUI) and the international art association “UN PONTE DI COLORI” (“A Bridge of Colours”) were officially represented at the forum by a delegation consisting of:
- Dana Spirtus, project manager of the “Bridge of Colours” project at CNAUI’s Department of Culture;
- Alina Ruzhyna, representative of CNAUI’s Department of Culture, artist and active participant in the international projects of the “UN PONTE DI COLORI” association.
Agency and a highly competitive cultural product
The first day of the forum was devoted to international support, Ukraine’s agency on the world stage and the development of joint co-productions.
During the panel discussions, the event’s co-organiser Viktor Ruban (co-founder of the international charitable foundation Impulse Transformation Platform, director, choreographer, performer and cultural diplomat) shared an important insight: in the fifth year of the full-scale war, the world’s interest is naturally waning, so Ukraine must offer the international community a high-quality, competitive and professional cultural product.
Diana Tsyba (KЇ Festival / KЇ Platforma) aptly built on this point, stressing the importance of Ukrainian cultural figures being physically present abroad:
“It is important for us to be there, so that we can bear witness to ourselves and to the war, so that they do not bear witness for us.”
Practical cooperation, matchmaking and networking
The second day of Perform Ukraine 2026 combined practical formats of interaction, speed dating, matchmaking sessions and a rich cultural programme, including a screening of the documentary “The Artist’s Case. Serge Lifar”.
For the representatives of CNAUI’s Department of Culture and the “UN PONTE DI COLORI” association, the key achievement was establishing direct working contacts with leading figures and institutions in the performing and visual arts sectors. The meetings laid a solid foundation for future joint cross-sectoral and international initiatives between Ukraine and Italy.
The participation of Dana Spirtus and Alina Ruzhyna in Perform Ukraine 2026 proves it: effective cultural diplomacy is built on partnership, mutual understanding and lasting institutional networks, which the National Congress of Ukrainian Associations in Italy is working systematically to develop.
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