UKELODEON
For The Next Generation
UKELODEON exclusive: Petro Pytaye interviews young fan
UKELODEON reporter Petro Pytaye recently caught up with concert-goer Petrus Chudolij, 8, and conducted the following interview to get his observations about a concert by pop singer Oksana Bilozir of Ukraine.
Where was the concert held?
The concert was in Brooklyn, N.Y., at the Millennium Theater. My parents and I went by bus with other Ukrainians who were going to see her, too.
What was the theater like?
It was big, nice, fit a lot of people, had comfortable seats and was a good place to perform.
Why was it so special for you to see Oksana Bilozir?
It was so special to me because I've known her songs since I was young. This was very exciting to me.
How did you get to know her songs?
My parents, mostly my Mama, would go to stores like Dnipro and buy Oksana Bilozir music. My parents play only Ukrainian music in the car and at home all the time. That's how I learned Oksana Bilozir songs by heart.
Do you have any favorite songs?
"Prolitaly Leleky," "Rospitayu Pro Libov," "Oy Zelene Zhyto, Zelene" (both versions) "Ukrainochka" and "Pshenychne" "Pereveslo" are my favorites.
Was it just Oksana Bilozir on stage all the time?
No. She had a live band, stage dancers, lights and even a fog machine. It was awesome!
Was Oksana Bilozir the only person singing all evening?
No. Another singer, a man, sang a few songs. One song I really liked was "Adrianna." We have his CD now and we play it all the time. His name is Vitaly Sachok. He signed my CD just for me. That was cool!
Did anything special happen at the concert?
Yes. At the end of the concert, Oksana Bilozir asked all of the children up onto the stage with her to sing and be with her. Then she gave out a little fuzzy gift to each of us. I even got to hold hands with her a few times because I was in the middle of the stage right next to her. We all had a good time up there. I even started to clap and dance a little on stage.
Another very important man came up on stage and made speeches, too. His name was Viktor Yushchenko. He is a very important person for Ukraine right now because he wants Ukraine to be free from all bad things. He seemed to be a good man. Oksana Bilozir told us that he is a Kozak - just like me - so he must be good. He hugged me on his way back to his seat.
How did all of this make you feel?
Very special and lucky.
What was the best part of the concert?
The best part was when Oksana Bilozir came down from the stage and into the audience and stood next to me for a long time. She said hello to me, "Dobryi Vechir," and I just waved to her and smiled and thought to myself "Oh my God! This is the real Pani Oksana Bilozir! Not some picture. Not some tape or CD, but the real thing!" She is so beautiful and so talented, and so Ukrainian.
Report from the scene: Valentine's Dance was excellent!
by Danylo Szpyhulsky
NEWARK, N.J. - St. John's Ukrainian Catholic School hosted a Valentine's Dance on February 22. Many children from the host school, as well as St. Nicholas School in Passaic, and other schools attended with their parents.
When you first entered the school gym, the first thing you noticed was the barrage of hearts. They were in many forms: heart-shaped balloons, hearts on the tables, and even a game played by throwing heart-shaped rings onto an octopus' tentacles.
The DJs played all kinds of music, even the "Kolomyika." The food was also great. The volunteer chefs served a full course meal that was home-cooked and included borsch, chicken fingers, pasta, salad, dessert and more.
The selection for the raffle was amazing because they had 51 prizes. I managed to win the door prize, which was a bear that sings a song called "The Valentine's Blues" as it plays on the guitar. In order to win I had to guess how many candy hearts were inside a glass tube. Thanks to my teachers who taught me to estimate, I guessed that there were 190 candies in the tube.
All my friends and I had a great time. Overall, the dance was excellent!
Danylo Szpyhulsky is a seventh grader at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic School in Newark, N.J.
Parish youths pay annual pre-Christmas visit to the needy
PARMA, Ohio - Members of St. Vladimir's Junior Ukrainian Orthodox League chapter in Parma, Ohio, together with guests and their clergy, gathered on the rectory grounds prior to departure to St. Herman's Monastery and House of Hospitality in Cleveland. For more than 10 years now, before Christmas the youth of the parish go to St. Herman's, where they volunteer to prepare meals and sing carols to the needy of the community of Greater Cleveland who use St. Herman's facilities.
Troupe of dancers in the spotlight at Ansonia event
ANSONIA, Conn. - This group of young dancers was among the troupe of 25 young artists between the ages of 3 and 18 that performed at the "Schedryi Vechir" gathering held here at Ss. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church on January 5. The evening included the traditional meatless meal, followed by a program that began with prayer and carols, and spotlighted Ukrainian folk dances. Seen (from left) are: Chrystyna Martyniuk, Taras Bidkovskiy, Sara German, Michael Klapyk, Kellie German and Miroslaw Klapyk.
Mishanyna
To solve this month's Mishanyna, find the words capitalized in the text and outline below.
During the month of March the Ukrainian community traditionally honors Taras Shevchenko, our nation's greatest POET, and an extremely talented ARTIST, who was born a SERF. In fact, Shevchenko is known as the national BARD of Ukraine in recognition of his key role in the national AWAKENING of his people.
Below is an outline highlighting Shevchenko's life and works.
Date of birth: MARCH 9, 1914
Birthplace: MORYNTSI, Kyiv region, Ukraine
Most famous collection of poetry: KOBZAR
Studied in: ST. PETERSBURG
Some of his most notable poems:
SON (Dream)
KAVKAZ (Caucasus)
VELYKYI LIOKH (The Great Dungeon)
TOPOLIA (The Poplar)
HAIDAMAKY (i.e., participants of popular uprisings of the 18th century who rebelled against Polish rule and serfdom)
ZAPOVIT (Testament)
Themes of his works:
FREEDOM
JUSTICE
HONOR
DIGNITY
BROTHERHOOD
Date of death: March 10, 1861
Final resting place: KANIV, Ukraine
OUR NEXT ISSUE: UKELODEON is published on the second Sunday of every month. To make it into our next issue, dated April 13, please send in your materials by April 4. Write to: UKELODEON, The Ukrainian Weekly, 2200 Route 10, P.O. Box 280, Parsippany, NJ 07054.
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 9, 2003, No. 10, Vol. LXXI
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