October 30, 2015
Culture/Arts

19th Annual Bloor West Village Toronto Ukrainian Festival reports record attendance

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TORONTO – A record number of visitors of widely diverse backgrounds caught the Ukrainian spirit on September 18-20, as the 19th annual Bloor West Village Toronto Ukrainian Festival served up a long weekend of non-stop entertainment, traditional food, stunning cultural displays and activities for all ages.

Located on Toronto’s Bloor Street West, the outdoor festival covered six city blocks, making it one of the world’s largest Ukrainian street festivals and attracting crowds of 700,000 from North America, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, England, France, Germany, Israel, Paraguay, Poland, Serpent River – First Nations, Taiwan, Ukraine and beyond. (Last year’s attendance was 620,000.)

On Friday evening, following a warm welcome from the festival’s founder and chair, Jurij Klufas, visitors enjoyed a lively program of song and dance on the Northland Power Festival Stage, as perennial local favorites Desna Ukrainian Dance Company and DoVira jazz group were joined by Edmonton’s Volya Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, Toronto bandurist Yarko Antonevych and the folk-rock band Svjata Vatra from Estonia with its collection of heritage instruments.

Violin virtuoso Vasyl Popadiuk of Ottawa then took over for an hour-long set, backed by a band of international musicians. The evening’s performances were anchored by MC Marta Czurylowicz of “Kontakt” and CTV News Winnipeg.  Audience members then danced until midnight at the street “zabava” featuring Toronto’s Zapovid band, while another 400 attended the popular festival after-party at a nearby venue, featuring the festival’s headlining band Ot Vinta from Rivne, Ukraine, as well as Toronto’s Klooch band and Winnipeg’s Zrada.

Elsewhere on the six city blocks of the festival, visitors enjoyed a full program of music and dance performances on the more intimate Community Stage. They shopped at the many vendor kiosks offering Ukrainian crafts, foods, clothing, collectibles and other unique finds, and at the sidewalk sale featuring the offerings of local businesses. They enjoyed the midway rides and games and explored the pavilions of the Ukrainian Jewish Encounter, “Kontakt” Ukrainian Television Network , the Shevchenko Foundation, and Ukraine tourism, highlighting tourism to various areas of Ukraine.

The forecast of daylong thunderstorms did not materialize on Saturday, as crowds gathered along Bloor Street West for the popular OMNI Bloor West Village Ukrainian Festival Parade led by 2015 Parade Marshal Alex Ling, Founder of the Bloor West Village Business Improvement Area (BIA) and the Toronto Association of BIAs, who rode in a Porsche convertible.

The parade featured 74 entries, including marching bands, a veterans’ color guard, floats, historically garbed re-enactors,  and some 3,100 participants from a wide array of associations, businesses, political associations and performing ensembles. Many deemed it the festival’s best parade ever. The award for Best Non-Commercial Parade Entry was presented to the Yavir School of Ukrainian Dance, while the Ivan Franko Homes earned the Best Commercial Parade Entry award for a beautiful recreation of a village scene.

Following the parade, politicians from all levels of Canadian government gathered onstage for the opening ceremonies with John Turner, former Prime Minister of Canada; Marko Shevchenko, Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires to Canada; and Raynell Andreychuk, Senator for Saskatchewan; as well as Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, Toronto Mayor John Tory, Ukraine’s Consul Liudmyla Davydovych, Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders, major festival sponsors, including James Temerty of Northland Power, leaders of the Ukrainian community, and past festival parade marshals.

The Canadian and Ukrainian national anthems were played by the Vanguard Concert Marching Band under the baton of Roman Yasinsky, after which Mr. Klufas addressed the audience, making a point to focus on the plight of political prisoners Nadiya Savchenko and Oleh Sentsov.  Following a welcome and introductions by the festival’s executive director, Sonia Holiad, various dignitaries brought greetings and were presented with a #FreeSentsov T-shirt.

Mr. Ling was introduced as the 2015 parade marshal and was joined by past marshals – Mr. Turner, Sen. Andreychuk, Mr. Temerty, author Victor Malarek of CTV’s “@-Five,” comedienne and actor Luba Goy, Member of Parliament Chrystia Freeland and Ukrainian Canadian Congress President Paul Grod to cut the red ribbon, officially opening the 19th annual festival. Later in the day, Jason Kenney, minister of national defense and minister for multiculturalism, brought greetings on behalf of the government of Canada.

Away from the stage, art-lovers were treated to an exhibit by the Ukrainian Association of Visual Artists of Canada, which partnered with the Ukrainian Canadian Art Foundation (KUMF Gallery) to present a pavilion of original artwork with a Ukrainian theme.

On Saturday, film fans crowded into the Runnymede Public Library where they were able to take in a full day of screenings. Films included “Marusia” (a rare 1938 black and white classic from Ukrafilm Corp. of New York), “The Passion of Christ” (1982, based on artist William Kurelek from Philip Earnshaw, Shooting Pictures),  “Between Hitler and Stalin” (2003, producer/director Slavko Nowytski),  “My Baba’s Kitchen” (2015, short animation by writer/director Stephanie Turenko), “Music of Survival” (2014, producer/director Orest Sushko), and “Pride of Ukraine” (2015, Executive producer/director Michelle Emson).  Directors Emson, Sushko and Turenko were present for question and answer sessions with the audiences.

Back at the Northland Power Festival Stage, named in honor of the longstanding, generous financial support of the Temerty Family and their company Northland Power, some of North America’s finest Ukrainian heritage performers were keeping the crowds enthralled, with festival MC Anya Yablonska of “Kontakt” at the helm. Performers included bandurist Yarko Antonevych of Toronto; vocalist Yana Bilyk of Toronto; the Colors Duo of Oshawa; the Georgian Soul Dance Ensemble of Toronto; vocalist Rev. Volodymyr Kouchnir of Montreal; bandurist Michael Kostowskyj of California; vocalist Olesya Shevchenko of Ottawa and Ukraine; Andrey Svyrsa of Montreal; the Volya Ukrainian Dance Ensemble of Edmonton, Alberta; and the Yavir School of Ukrainian Dance of Toronto.

Later in the afternoon, MC Julia Drozdowsky, an improviser/actor/writer, welcomed another set of performers to the festival’s main stage, including Toronto’s Arkan Dance Company; Ukraine’s Boyovyy Hopak, whose martial arts moves and daring feats on broken glass and a bed of nails captivated the audience; Toronto’s Chervoni Maky vocal/piano trio and Lira Trio of vocalists; Montreal’s Rossa Trio; vocalist Yuliya Stupen of Philadelphia; Toronto’s Vesnianka Dancers and Yavir School of Ukrainian Dance.

Veteran Festival MC Borys Sirskyj of Ottawa led the Saturday evening show, which featured dazzling performances by Edmonton’s Volya Ukrainian Dance Ensemble and the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus of Detroit; the bandura stylings of California’s Michael  Kostowskyj; the high-energy sounds of Winnipeg’s Zrada band and the always-popular Zubrivka folk band of Toronto.

After a brief sound check, Ot Vinta, the evening’s headlining band got the audience rocking with its highly anticipated set of “Ukrabilly” music.

Afterwards, Winnipeg’s Zrada played for another street zabava, while nearby 500 festival-goers attended the Saturday after-party to enjoy Svjata Vatra, OT Vinta and Zrada.

On Sunday, the festival opened its third day with the annual ecumenical church service on the Northland Power Stage, featuring the ministers and pastors of churches in the festival’s neighborhood. The Boyan Choir of Toronto participated by singing hymns.  After the service, the performance stages were once again the setting for more fine talent.

The youth program featured an array of young performers, including Barvinok Ukrainian Dance Ensemble of Hamilton and Chaika Performing Ensemble; Barvinok Ukrainian Dance School of Mississauga, Ontario; Toronto’s Light Up the Floor, Melodia Vocal Youth Group, Natasha Dobriansky and Yarema Hucal, Rezonans Music Studio, Studio Echo, the Toronto School of Boyovyi Hopak; Ukrainian Academy of Dance, Yavir School of Ukrainian Dance and Zajvir Children’s Choir; and Spivohrai Ukrainian Children’s Choir of Saskatoon. Alexandra Holyk and Alexander Pidzamecky were the young and polished MCs.

The afternoon show’s MC was a special guest, Andrea Slobodian, late news anchor at CTV in Winnipeg. Featured performers included local favorites: Barvinok Ukrainian Dance School, Ukraine’s Boyovyy Hopak, Toronto’s DoVira Jazz Group and Dunai Band; the Kalyna Dance Ensemble of Hamilton; Yuliya Stupen of Philadelphia; Volya Ukrainian Dance Ensemble of Edmonton; and Toronto’s Zapovid and Zubrivka bands.

Throughout the weekend, many performers entertained on the Community Stage at the east end of the festival, including Barvinok Ukrainian Dance Ensemble of Hamilton, Ontario; Boyovyy Hopak and many more local performers: Natasha Dobriansky and Yarema Hucal, the Dunai Band, The Gypsy Rebels, Light Up the Floor, Lira Trio, Melodia Singers, Marta Mironovych, Mykola and Mihailo Panczenko, Theodore Pucak, Rezonans Music Studio, St. Demetrius Bandura Ensemble, Natalia Terek, Ukrainian Academy of Dance and Zubrivka Folk Band.

Other performers were: Michael Kostowskyj of California, the Rev. Volodymyr Kouchnir of Montréal, Maksim Shcherbatyuk of Pittsburgh, Olesia Shevchenko of Ottawa, Spivohrai Ukrainian Children’s Choir of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and Andrey Svyrsa of Ukraine.

The audience enjoyed regular “Teach Me to Dance” lessons by members of the Desna Ukrainian Dance Company and a fashion show by Chichka Designs of Lviv, featuring an array of women’s clothing that mixes traditional Ukrainian embroidery with modern influences of color and clothing style.

The stage was MCd throughout the weekend by Odessa Kelebay, Oksana Rohatyn-Wasylyk and Anya Yablonska.  On the street, festival-goers enjoyed concerts by buskers, including The Imbayakunas, counter-tenor Ian Sabourin, the Zirka band and the Zubrivka folk band.

The festival chair, Mr. Klufas, closed the event on Sunday with thanks to all involved, including the many sponsors of festival activities and performances.  The traditional Festival finale – the double-tier Hopak performed by the Barvinok Ukrainian School of Dance – performed on the stage and the ground level concluded the festivities in a flurry of color.