Ukrainians perform for students at international celebration in Detroit

DETROIT - Billing the event as "America's largest International celebration," a Boston based organizing committee chose Detroit to offer a unique opportunity for tens of thousands of students to view expressions of various cultures.

The festival presentation was tailored for middle school and high school students. Approximately 10,000 students attend this function each day to learn about the cultural diversity of the world. For this academic year, on November 13-15, 2001, over 1,200 musicians, dancers, singing groups and other performers dazzled and delighted audiences on the exposition's four massive stages. Dozens of countries showcased their respective cultures through exhibits and ethnic activities each day.

The Ukrainian Village's song ensemble from Warren, Mich., called Zoloti Dzvony (Golden Bells) was invited to provide Ukrainian Entertainment. Established approximately seven years ago, this colorful ensemble under the direction of Olga Dubriwny Solovey, has a distinguished repertoire with an unusual track record of appearances in Metropolitan Detroit. A Ukrainian cultural exhibit booth was expertly assembled through the efforts of Branch 81 of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America. Leadership and expertise were provided by Olena Papiz and Stefania Dub, who were assisted by other UNWLA members.

In addition, a cultural discussion group was featured at the Cultural Mall. Stephen Wichar and Ms. Dub were given an opportunity to discuss the traditions, culture and history of Ukraine through questions by participating students.

Both the Ukrainian exhibit and choral performances were executed skillfully and with gratifying enthusiasm. It is not often that tens of thousands of youngsters are exposed to the many rich heritages that are representative of a dynamic city like Detroit.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 6, 2002, No. 1, Vol. LXX

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