DakhaBrakha at Calgary Folk Music Festival 2015

Calgarians know that our summer folk music festival is one of the best ways to spend a summer's evening! Warm, summer breezes, Prince's Island Park, the Bow River and fabulous international artists conveying the eternal beauty of life through music! Thou, a bottle of wine, and music of course!  And of course, tickets to Calgary's Folk Music Festival - this July 2015!

One of the special guest artist groups to perform this summer is DakhaBrakha is a world-music quartet from Kyiv, Ukraine.  Their unexpected new music comes from the heart and soul of the chaotic, centuries-long give and take of Ukrainian life.  Created in 2004, this avant-garde theatrical approach opens up the potential of Ukrainian melodies, and leaves a distinct impression upon its audiences.  Bright, unique, astonishingly powerful musicianship, their deeply rooted understanding of Ukraine's pivotal place in world consciousness is a testament to all the travellers who ever crossed its soil. Fusion,yes - but oh so much more!  Phenomenally rich music!

Get your tickets soon!

July 23rd-24th (at 6:20 p.m.) - solo concert
Calgary Folk Music Festival
Prince's Island Park
Calgary, AB CANADA

http://www.calgaryfolkfest.com/artists/view/1360-dakhabrakha

Calgary's GlobalFest -August 26-26, 2012

Calgary is the host city for so many summer festivals, with many opportunities for celebrating our lovely city.  2012 also marks the 10th Anniversary of Calgary's GlobalFest.  This multicultural festival is simply world class!  With all the pavilions set up in Elliston Park representing a huge variety of cultures cooperating to make a better Calgary, the event is topped off with a fabulous international fireworks competition. Calgary's Ukrainian Tryzub Dancers will host the Ukrainian pavilion, and provide tasty Ukrainian food for the guests while delivering their unique brand of Ukrainian dance in their performances on various stages throughout the park.
Globalfest takes place from August 16-26 at Elliston Park, 17 Av and 68 St SE. 
The Tryzub Ukrainian Dance Ensemble will be featured during the Sunday August 26 finale performance. Dancing to live music performed by the Kensington Sinfonia and joined by several alumni dancers, this is guaranteed to be an exciting, explosive conclusion to GlobalFest 2012.

Come with your friends and family for a fun experience - get to know the culture side of Calgary!!

Support Tryzub by purchasing your Globalfest tickets through the web link provided below. Ticket prices are $10 per night, or five nights (not including the finale) for $40 (regular price $15/ticket). August 26 Finale tickets are $15 each. Please contact Tryzub at info@tryzub.ca to purchase your tickets now!

You can also see the Globalfest website for more details: www.globalfest.ca

 

When is MALANKA 2013? Not too early to book the date!!

The Calgary Plast Ukrainian Scouting Association (PLAST) is again planning for their annual MALANKA!  A really special event, the PLAST MALANKA brings a Calgary Western Flare to the Ukrainian New Year celebration called Malanka.  Plast has a lot of experience with this event, it has been on the calendar each year for.....well at least over 10 years - and each year we dance til the band begs to go home!!



uocvancouver.com

A Ukrainian Malanka is a formerly rural celebration of the New Year. In the deep winter in Ukraine, people would perform traditional plays and skits marking the mystical turn of time.  Calgary PLAST Ukrainan Scouts is also a mix of old and new traditions - each year their program of activities seems to broaden its vision of what is means to be Ukrainian and Canadian.  Calgary PLAST's MALANKA is really a very impressive black tie event in modern downtown Calgary!  It's a special, dress up affair!

Calgary PLAST is again hosting two bands for their 2013 Ukrainian New Years Malanka. Performing that evening will be the two Dance Bands from Calgary, "Zhyto" and "The Real Deal". Also performing will be Stephania Romaniuk, Tanya Chumak, and TRYZUB Dance Ensemble.  Non stop dancing is guaranteed - with a mix of blues, R&B, funk, soul, swing and beyond, and then enthusiatic toetapping traditional Ukrainian dance band sounds, how can you beat it?

I always have such a fun time at Malanka - it's a good party, good company and such a lot of fun seeing friends after the family clutch of the Christmas holidays.  Time to kick up a kolomeyka or something. 

PLAST’s Malanka 2013 will be held on Saturday, January 19, at The Calgary Petroleum Club.

Here's a sample of Zhyto playing - Komaryk - The Mosquito!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v2LKVCbTvM

Calgary Ukrainian Festival 2012 Photo Tour

Art by Larisa

Congratulations to Calgary Ukrainian Festival 2012 on a lovely celebration!  I arrived early Saturday to see a flurry of busyness - upwards of 200 volunteers showed up to make this great event happen - and wow did it happen!  The venue was set up theatre style, with vendors and exhibits lining three sides of the hall.  Artfully displayed, entertaining exhibits, and stores to shop in made for a great walk-about.  I really appreciated the way the organizing committee accomodated a variety of interests, price points, age groups, and entertainment styles. 

Calgary's Europa Express

Local Ukrainian vendors, some from across the prairies, and as far away as Quebec brought excellent Ukrainian themed items for purchase. 

Dolls by Sandra

Berehynya Art and Adornment by Luba Bilash

Edmonton's Ukrainian Book Store

Items from Yevshan.com

Baba's Records

The performers included everyone from Euphoria Band from Edmonton, to little 4 year old dancers who held the stage quite admirably.  Dancing groups included Tryzub, Barvinok, Suzirya and perhaps a few I didn't catch. 

Ukrainian Voice - Holos Newspaper

A singing duo from Winnipeg, a display from the Ukrainian Voice Paper - Ukrainskiy Holos (100 years of service in Canada) and the Ukrainian Museum of Canada (Calgary Collection) brought up the historical connection,

Ukrainian Museum of Canada - Calgary Collection

while the newer arrivals from Ukraine including singer Andrij Yevtushenko and many others came dressed in contemporary adaptations with Ukrainian traditional designs. 

Beautiful contemporary adaptations of Ukrainian traditional clothing

ACUA - Alberta Council for the Ukrainian Arts displayed a wide variety of art works, watercolors, mixed media, oils, and acrylic paintings, textile art by Elizabeth Holinaty, as well as jewellery items, and interesting hand woven samplers as gift cards.  Impressive art works by Ukrainian Albertan's certainly caught many by surprise - many paintings went home in the hands of happy purchasers!!

St. Vladimir's Ukrainian Sadochok (Preschool) in Calgary

Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation

A variety of important Ukrainian Canadian services took part in the Festival - and promoted programs as widely different as Calgary's only Ukrainian Bilingual Preschool, Canada's Shevchenko Foundation, Medical Mercy Canada which annually helps small towns and villages in Ukraine with medical care, the Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation helping the Ukrainian Catholic University. 

A flower hair clip made with the help of one of the Festival volunteers. 

                
                 There was a volunteer run kids center, for crafts and coloring, and a breather.  Little children had the opportunity to make crafts to wear, and if you were hungry there were a variety of traditional foods available for a meal. 

Ollie's Homestyle Catering

On top of the non stop action on stage, I was told that a very special guest arrived at the Festival late Sunday afternoon.  After the Ukrainian Catholic Patriarchal visit with Calgary's Ukrainian Catholic community, Patriarch Sviatoslav came to see the Festival - sat in the front row and enjoyed the entertainment. 

An impressive, successful 3rd Festival for Calgarians to enjoy - Perhaps next year you should join in?

Calgary's 3rd Annual Ukrainian Festival

Well today is the day!  The Ukrainian Festival in Calgary is a spectacular and unexpected treat I hope you get a chance to experience!  With dancers, singers, performances of all kinds, vendors, food, entertainment of a social kind, a zabava and plenty of opportunities to visit and get reacquainted with your Ukrainian community, it's time to get out and celebrate.

In a city where about 80,000 people claim Ukrainian descent, this is a long overdue celebration of our rich heritage! It’s time to say “Vitaemo!” (Welcome!) to all, and show Calgary true Ukrainian hospitality!

The organizing committee has done such a fabulous job of accomodating the needs of all those involved - make sure you let them know they are appreciated.  Well, I hope to see you Saturday and Sunday at Acadia Recreation Complex - 240-90 Avenue SE.  or check www. calgaryukrainianfestival.ca

Oi, zabava, zabava azh do rannia, Oi, zabava, zabava tseeloo neech!

Third Annual Calgary Ukrainian Festival June 2-3, 2012

When was the last time you had a great party time with your friends?  When I was a kid there were so many weekends just filled with Ukrainian zabava's.  Friends from all over, dancing to the music of some Ukie band, all crammed into some hall or arena, trying hard not to get stepped on in the crowd.  Kids in their Ukrainian dance outfits, pyrogies, and cabbage rolls served by the hosts, and everyone wearing comfortable dancing shoes, anticipating the great circle dance - kolomeyka.  Are you planning to go to the Calgary Ukrainian Festival this year?  It's at Acadia Recreation Complex this year - lots of room for fun and many displays.  It's June 2,3 with a zabava on Saturday night.  Go to www.calgaryukrainianfestival.ca. for more information.

CALGARY UKRAINIAN FESTIVAL - PLEASE VOLUNTEER!

The Calgary Ukrainian Festival is still looking for volunteers. Their particular need at this point is for food servers on Sunday from 10:30 to 2:30 and ticket sellers for both Sunday shifts: 10:30 to 2:30 and 2:00 to 6:00. If you haven't yet volunteered, please consider donating your time to help ensure that this great event is a success. 
Please go to this link to volunteer: 

http://www.calgaryukrainianfestival.ca/contact-us/volunteer-application-form/
The Third Annual Calgary Ukrainian Festival

Saturday and Sunday, June 2 & 3

Acadia Recreation Complex - 240 - 90 Avenue S. E.