Syzokryli, Dumka to perform at Alice Tully Hall (04/27/97)

Syzokryli, Dumka to perform at Alice Tully Hall

NEW YORK - The Syzokryli Ukrainian Dance Ensemble and the Dumka Ukrainian Chorus, both of New York, will appear in concert at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall on Sunday, May 11, at 7:30 p.m.

The concert of Ukrainian dance and choral music is seen by its organizers as a vehicle to present the best of Ukrainian culture to Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians alike.

Founded in 1978, the Syzokryli dance ensemble is composed of students and young professionals who devote their spare time to the study and promotion of Ukrainian culture and dance.

The ensemble's diverse repertoire consists of regional folk dances as well as thematically stylized character and interpretive dances that draw upon the rich history of the Ukrainian dance form and are influenced by classical ballet and modern dance. Among the impressive choreography in the repertoire are "Fight for Freedom," a dramatic ballet that commemorates the tragedy of the Chornobyl nuclear accident, and "Icon," a historical recreation that celebrates the millennium of Christianity in Ukraine.

The Syzokryli have performed extensively over the years at various venues throughout the northeastern United States, including the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden and the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City; the Academy of Music and Robin Hood Dell in Philadelphia; the Garden State Arts Center and Newark Symphony Hall in New Jersey; and Constitution Hall in Washington. In 1992 the ensemble concluded a successful and critically acclaimed tour of Ukraine, appearing in the opera houses of Ukraine's major cities.

The ensemble's artistic director is Roma Pryma-Bohachevsky, an internationally recognized dancer and choreographer. Having started her dancing career as a ballerina in Ukraine, where she was the youngest soloist of the Lviv State Theater of Opera and Ballet, she graduated with high honors from the Vienna Academy of Music and Performing Arts. After emigrating to the United States in 1950, she continued a string of highly successful solo recitals throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.

Ms. Pryma-Bohachevsky has skillfully woven Ukrainian culture with classical ballet to create an originally exquisite, stylized ethnic art of dance. She opened her own school of dance in New York in 1963 and dedicated herself to teaching. Ms. Pryma-Bohachevsky has staged full-length ballets and choreographed a number of original topical dances.

The beautiful kaleidoscope of the Syzokryli ensemble's choreography will be seen at the May 11 concert. Since the concert falls on Mothers' Day, the program is dedicated to all mothers in attendance. No concert of Ukrainian dance would be complete without the breathtaking leaps and swordplay of the traditional "Hopak," which will be a highlight of the program.

The concert will also feature the Dumka Chorus. Founded in New York City 48 years ago, it has become the largest mixed chorus outside Ukraine. Its musical mission is to preserve and foster a rich musical heritage that was outlawed during the years of the Soviet regime in Ukraine, to enrich the cultural and spiritual lives of the Ukrainian diaspora, and to bring the beauty of Ukrainian vocal music to the world. With a library of over 400 musical works, the chorus is constantly enhancing its repertoire of Ukrainian folk, classical, liturgical and contemporary music.

Dumka has performed throughout the United States and Europe, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington; Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, Madison Square Garden and St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York; and throughout Europe in London, Salzburg, Munich, Saverne, Strasbourg and Karlsruhe. In 1995 the Dumka Chorus returned from a successful tour of Ukraine, where the choir was given the Mykola Lysenko Award, the highest award from the Ukrainian government for musical achievement and performance.

The director of the choir is Vasyl Hrechynsky, a gifted recent arrival from Ukraine, who completed his studies at the Lviv Conservatory and was awarded a degree in conducting and choral music. In addition to conducting many choirs in Lviv, Mr. Hrechynsky was choirmaster at the Lviv Theater of Opera and Ballet. He has been Dumka's conductor since 1991.

Tickets may be purchased at the Alice Tully Hall box office for $15, $20 and $25. Seats for senior citizens and children under age 12 are priced at $15. The concert is sponsored by the Ukrainian National Association and the Self Reliance Federal Credit Union.

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