BuryaK

A performance by Ida Osten in collaboration with Sofiia Butiaga

Beetroot. BuryaK. The unsung hero of Eastern European cuisine. Bleeds like a wound, stains like regret, tastes like home. This duet navigates the uneasy terrain between autonomy and oppression, questioning what binds us and how we can move forward. As two women growing up in the Ukraine and Austria we are still dependent on each other. No matter if we want it or not. Through language shaped by care and humour, BuryaK unravels the need of interdependence. A chain links their bodies, both metaphor and material. Is it a tether of trust or a kinky Cold war souvenir? We are all creatures of habit. Carved slowly by repetition, by rhythm, by silence. Cherishing human relations, co-existence and devotion they are navigating through the reality of systemic forces. Drawing on the symbolic power of the beetroot- tempting and resilient—the performers explore how external systems and internalized beliefs shape the way we live, move, and relate. In the ritual of the renown dish ‘Borscht’ we see not just sustenance, but memory. We become each other’s mirror and refuge. They feed and wash one another. They nourish each other. 

BuryaK premiered on the 27th of June at ENTER Festival 2025 in Groningen (Netherlands). 

Concept, Choreography, Performance: Ida Osten
Choreography, Performance: Sofiia Butiaga
Music: Márk Bartha