Verka Serduchka (Andriy Danylko)
Verka Serduchka is a nom de plume of famous parodist Andriy Danylko. Success has come to Andriy after his programme called “SV-show”. He played Verka Serduchka, a funny ukranian conductor full of optimism and humor.
Andriy was born in Poltava, his father was a driver, and his mother was a worker. The Danylko wasn’t rich family.
For a long time they were living in a small barrack with amenities out of the house.
Incomes of the family were too small and before graduation classmates bought Andriy a shirt and jogging shoes.
At school Andriy was very modest and his marks were not excellent. But when he was the captain of the command at school’s Club of the Merry and Inventive he was a star. Since ten years old he was playing in amateur theatre.
After graduation Danylko took an effort to enter Music College but examiners have decided that he is not good on stage.
He entered trade school going to be a cashier. But in the market Andriy could’t work for a long time. He couldn’t look as his colleagues who were stealing goods.
In 1990 Andriy Danylko started to create the character Verka Serduchka, a flamboyant middle aged woman and train conductor. At a humor contest in Poltava on 4 January 1991, he presented Verka Serduchka publicly for the first time. He invented the character's name by combining the randomly picked first name Verka and the real surname of a former school classmate, Anya Serduk. Apart from pop and dance numbers, Danylko has also appeared under his real name, performing musical compositions. His popularity, however, is firmly established on the stage personality of Verka Serduchka and most of his performances are done under this stage name.
Following Verka Serduchka, Andriy Danylko created other characters, such as a policeman, a soldier and a 
female ballet dancer. In such a fashion, the Danilko Theater was established, touring the cities of Russia and Ukraine. In 2002, Andriy Danylko, along with his group, toured in the CIS and Baltic countries, showing the program “I am a Revolution” for the whole year. The next year, soon after the Danylko Theater’s concert tour “I Was Born for Love”, Andriy Danylko received the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s he hosted a talk show called "SV-show" ("SV" is an abbreviation for Russian: Спальный Вагон, "Spalniy Vagon", which means sleeping car) on various Ukrainian television channels.
In 2004 the Danilko Theater gave some concerts in the USA in 17 cities. IN NY in the Millenium Theatre Danilko gave sic performances. 40 000 spectators visited his concerts.
Now Verka Serduchka is working at two new albums and performances. It is clear that her star is going to shine for a long time.
Poltava is proud that such a talent appeared on her land.
