Arkan Dance Company to present 'Journey through Ukraine'

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario - The Arkan Dance Company, which has performed as cultural ambassadors of Canada and of Ukraine at international festivals throughout the world, presents "A Journey Through Ukraine," a concert of Ukrainian and modern dance featuring the work of guest choreographer National Artist of Ukraine Rafayil Malynovsky. The concert will be held Sunday, June 9, at Hammerson Hall at the Living Arts Center at 7 p.m.

Maestro Malynovsky has had a distinguished career as choreographer of various leading ensembles and dance companies throughout Ukraine and Russia, among them Lionok, Rodoslav, Veriovka, Kalyna, the Kubanskyi Ensemble and Sonechko. During the past season, he has worked for seven months with the Arkan Dance Company and with selected classes of The Ukrainian Academy of Dance during which time he has created an entirely new repertoire of interesting and energetic choreography. His stay has been funded in part by the Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko.

Among the works featured at the concert will be Mr. Malynovsky's Polissian Suite of dances to the accompaniment of Ukrainian folk instruments, as well as comedy and character dances, a spring welcoming dance and Hutsul and Transcarpathian dances.

Also featured will be the modern dance "Scythian Gold" choreographed by Arkan's artistic director, Danovia Stechishin, who was commissioned last year by the Royal Ontario Museum to create an interpretive dance about the Scythia culture that flourished on what is now Ukraine 2,000 years ago. The project was funded in party by the Toronto Arts Council.

Tickets for the concert, at $25, $23 and $20, are available by calling the Living Arts Center Box Office at (905) 306-6000.

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The Arkan Dance Company has performed at numerous international festivals among them, in Florida (1995), Taiwan (1996), Brazil (1997), Manitoba (1998), China (1999), Nova Scotia (2001), and Drumomondville, Quebec (2001). The dance company was chosen as a semi-finalist in the Canada-wide YTV achievement awards in 2000 and was chosen that same year to perform at Madison Square Garden for the United Nations summit in New York. Arkan is currently preparing for a tour of Ukraine in 2003.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, June 2, 2002, No. 22, Vol. LXX

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