Ukrainian Christmas tale to debut in New York in January (11/19/06)

Ukrainian Christmas tale to debut in New York in January

by Helen Smindak

NEW YORK - A winter's tale featuring Ukrainian Christmas traditions is coming to town in January, thanks to the vision and ambitious plans of a new, multi-ethnic organization called Ethnocentricity.

"First Star: A Winter's Tale" will debut at the Danny Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College on the evening of January 26, 2007, and a matinee performance on January 27. Tickets will go on sale at the Danny Kaye Playhouse on December 1.

Loosely based on E.T.A. Hoffman's world-famous "Nutcracker Suite," the 90-minute production revolves around the rituals of a traditional Christmas Eve family gathering. Spotting the first star in the evening sky, young Klarissa announces that it's time for supper with her older brother, their grandparents and other families. After the supper of 12 traditional dishes, she falls asleep by the fireplace, dreaming of dancing sparks of fire, graceful folk dancers, high-leaping Kozaks and stalks of wheat.

Unlike "Nutcracker Suite," the tale is enhanced by a story line. In her dream, Klarissa travels to several regions of Ukraine and discovers the richness of her culture.

New Yorkers have not been treated to a comparable stage delight since 1931, when dance impresario Vasyl Avramenko combined his dancers with the Olexander Koshets Choir to stage a song-and-dance presentation at the old Metropolitan Opera House in midtown Manhattan.

Choreographed by professional dancer/choreographer Andrij Cybyk, "First Star" will be performed by a cast of 20 professional and amateur dancers in Ukrainian costumes and outfits that transform dancers into bees, snowflakes and wheat. Lighting, sets and costumes were created by professional designers.

Its sponsor, Ethnocentricity Corp., is a tax-exempt organization formed in 2005 with the purpose of assisting artists of all ethnic origins who wish to express work in music, dance and art that unifies their cultural heritage with their American upbringing.

The corporation's board of directors will judge projects on innovation, culture and viability, and use the organization's resources to help artists find affordable work space and provide them with information on how to obtain tax-free donations, grant assistance and guidance.

"First Star" previewed during a fund-raising reception at the Ukrainian Institute of America on October 29. With Mr. Cybyk providing narrative to tie scenes together, excerpts from the production spotlighted Klarissa (Julianna Walchuk), her brother Lesyk (Alexander Syzonenko) and their grandparents (Orlando and Larisa Pagan) as the families prepared for Christmas Eve supper.

Professional dancers Natalia Ejova and Patricia Ruiz turned into flying sparks, twirling lengths of red ribbon in fiery patterns. Mr. Pagan, artistic director of the Syzokryli Dancers of New York, and two other Syzokryli members, Lev Iwashko and Markian Kopystianskyj, turned in stunning performances as stalwart Kozaks. Sophie Panych and Ksenia Hentisz, also from the Syzokryli ensemble, represented stalks of wheat as part of the sheaf of wheat that plays an important role in Christmas Eve ceremonies.

Outstanding cast

The outstanding cast represents a wide spectrum of ballet and folk dance companies, including Dance Theater of Harlem, Atlanta Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, the Michael Mao Dance Company, and the Syzokryli, Obrij and Iskra folk dance ensembles. While some dancers are college students, the majority come from a range of occupations - patent lawyer (Mr. Iwashko), New York City police officer (Mr. Kopystianskyj), makeup artist (Ms. Pagan), rehearsal director (Ms. Ruiz) and professional ballet dancer (Ms. Ejova).

Mr. Cybyk sees the Hunter College production of "First Star" as the forerunner to an annual holiday production in New York that could be presented later in cities like Cleveland and Chicago. He hopes it will eventually tour several cities in the United States and Canada, transporting the beauty of Ukrainian traditions, music, song and dance to North American audiences.

Indicative of the creativity that went into the concept and development of "First Star," the catered informal reception reflected careful planning that transformed the second-floor ballroom into an intimate cafe. Guests sat at candlelit tables centered with delicate bouquets of yellow flowers; others strolled about chatting with friends and those involved in the "First Star" production.

Mr. Cybyk's aunt, Martha Cybyk of Toms River, N.J., was at the piano keyboard, providing soft background music. Waitresses in embroidered blouses served dainty hors d'oeuvres; the elegantly set bar and dessert tables were manned by pleasant attendants.

Although the Hunter College production will be presented with full costumes and sets, Ethnocentricity plans to add singers and professional musicians to the company. To achieve this goal, Mr. Cybyk said, Ethnocentricity requires funds - $85,000 needs to be raised to engage musicians and singers, and find a composer who would weave together a mix of Tchaikovsky airs fused by Mr. Cybyk with a variety of Ukrainian melodies.

Mr. Cybyk appealed to the Ukrainian community for support in this important endeavor. He said that donations would qualify donors for inclusion in various categories, from Star (for donations of $499 or less) to Producer (donations of $10,000 or more).

The organization's board of directors, made up of people of diverse backgrounds, includes President Christine Gerula, senior vice-president of Sovereign Bank; Treasurer Jim Maertin, CPA; Secretary Kristine Izak, dance teacher at private dance schools in the Philadelphia metropolitan area; and Director Emily MacRae, a freelance consultant.

"We're all very excited about 'First Star' - the performers, the designers, the board of directors; we can't wait to see this production open at the Playhouse," Mr. Cybyk said.

Idea for "First Star"

Chatting with guests after the preview, Mr. Cybyk revealed that the idea for "First Star" was born during a casual pre-performance evening with Mr. and Mrs. Pagan. "We were talking about the huge success of shows like Riverdance and how they managed to bring their (Irish) culture and dance artistry before a large public. Orlando suggested that we could do the same thing. That set me to thinking about creating a Ukrainian production and I started writing the first draft of the 'First Star' tale."

It also led to the formation of Ethnocentricity, with Mr. Cybyk and a stage manager friend, Shari Houtman, utilizing their contacts with numerous show business people and friends to plan and incorporate the organization.

The name Ethnocentricity was chosen to indicate that the organization centers its attention on projects by artists from all ethnic communities.

Mr. Cybyk, "First Star" artistic director, is a summa cum laude graduate of Duquesne University and performed with the university's Tamburitzans ensemble in over 360 shows. He is also a graduate of the Pavel Virsky School of Academic Ukrainian Dance in Ukraine.

A featured soloist and principal dancer for the AllNations Dance Company, Michael Mao Dance, Barynyja, Brighton Ballet Theater and Anglo-American Ballet, he has also performed with ballet companies in Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as well as the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Montgomery Ballet and Zig Zag Ballet.

As a director and choreographer, Mr. Cybyk has set works for the Tamburitzans, DanceArts of Columbia, Zhuravli Ukrainian Dancers of Houston, Iskra Ukrainian Dancers of Whippany, N.J., and the Syzokryli ensemble of New York. A former artistic director and contributing choreographer for the Syzokryli ensemble, he co-directed summer workshops and dance camps in New York for over 10 years.

Mr. Cybyk directed sold-out shows at Town Hall and Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall. He is currently training with Michael Mao and Katherine Kingsley.

His work in "First Star" is supported by talented professional designers - lighting designer Allen Lee Hughes, scenic designer Sal Tagliarino and costume designer Oana Botz Ban.

Mr. Hughes, winner of several design awards, has worked on numerous Broadway productions. His dance designs also include works for American Ballet Theater, New York City Ballet, Pilobolus Dance Theater and others.

Mr. Tagliarino, resident designer for the Woodstock Theater Festival, who created decor for Liza Minelli and Frank Sinatra, has designed sets for diverse companies, including the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, Houston Grand Opera, New York Shakespeare Festival and Dance in America.

Designs for "First Star" costumes are the contribution of Ms. Ban, a graduate of New York University's Design Department. Since 1999 she has collaborated with such theater greats as Richard Foreman, Zelda Fishlander, Eduardo Machado and Alva Rogers.

Ms. Houtman, general manager and stage manager for the production, has been a professional stage manager for almost 15 years. She has worked at such venues as Arena Stage, Kennedy Center, Wolftrap Opera and Milwaukee Rep, and served as production stage manager for Michael Mao Dance and the North American tour of the Broadway musical "Grease."

| Home Page |