INDEPENDENCE, Ohio – The Plast sororities Buryverchy and Shostokryli hosted their debutante ball at the Holiday Inn – Cleveland South, in Independence, Ohio, on February 18. This year, five young women, all in their lovely white gowns and accompanied by their escorts, were presented to Cleveland’s Ukrainian community before a packed ballroom.
The evening began as emcees Maria Zachary Kyffin (of the Buryverchy) and Taissa Zappernick (of the Shostokryli) presented the debutantes as they walked in, listing each one’s many accomplishments.
Approximately 300 dinner guests, some from as far away as Arkansas and Ontario, watched as each debutante walked to center stage on the arm of her father to take the traditional bow before many family members, friends and guests.
Following the presentation, the debutantes and their escorts danced to a beautifully choreographed waltz arranged by Andrea Komichak Mural (a member of Plast’s Kniahyni sorority). Next, the debutantes danced with their fathers, while the escorts danced with the mothers of the debutantes, after presenting each mother with a rose. After the completion of the debutantes’ dance, everyone sang the Plast “Otche Nash” (Our Father) before dinner was served.
Right afterwards, the band Klopit from Chicago started the “zabava” (dance) with expert playing that kept everyone on the dance floor for the entire evening.
The debutantes this year were: Julia Anna Kashuba (Cleveland), escorted by Pavlo Stasiuk (Cleveland); Lydia Chrystyna Lisowsky (Cleveland) escorted by Mykola Seneczko (Chicago); Marika Sofia Olijar (Philadelphia) escorted by Alexandr Bokatch (Cleveland); Victoria Anna Sysak (Cleveland) escorted by Ivan Wolansky (Cleveland); and Lesya Antonina Zappernick (Cleveland) escorted by Danylo Powers (Chicago).
Most of the debutantes are active in Cleveland’s Ukrainian community. Many are members of Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization and the Kashtan School of Ukrainian Dance, and are graduates of the School of Ukrainian Studies (Ridna Shkola) or the Taras Shevchenko School of Ukrainian Studies.
At their presentation, the debutantes were encouraged to continue their activity in the Ukrainian community of Greater Cleveland. Each debutante was presented with an original woodcut depicting a traditional Ukrainian “Tree of Life,” created by local artist and member of the Buryverchy Daria Hulak Kulchytsky.
Many guests, especially the youth, danced well into the night to the lively music of Klopit, making this debutante ball a lasting memory for the debutantes, their families and guests.
The Plast sororities Buryverchy and Shostokryli thanked the event sponsors – Ukrainian Federal Credit Union Osnova, Cleveland Selfreliance Federal Credit Union and Ohio Export Corporation – as well as other generous donors for helping make this debutante ball successful. Proceeds are earmarked for Pysanyi Kamin, the Ukrainian Plast camp in Middlefield, Ohio.
The debutantes’ dance.