Dance for freedom

There may be lull in Ukraine's war with the Kremlin, yet Shumka Ukrainian Dancer's world premiere of KOBZAR is a reminder patriotic sentiments run deep.

Inspired by the writings of one of Ukraine's most eloquent poets, Taras Shevchenko, KOBZAR adapts folk and character dance to bring his universal message of freedom to the stage.

KOBZAR, will be presented along with Travelling Chumaky, a classic from Shumka repertoire on April 9 and 10 at the Northern Jubilee Auditorium.

Continuing its unique blend of Ukrainian, ballet and mainstream movements, Shumka also pushes the envelope with heavy projections that add fluid support to the dance.

For the 42 athletic dancers of differing nationalities, the choreography is a linear thread that links them together and takes them on a journey to open the heart.

Shevchenko was described as an artist, a poet, a visionary and lauded by many as “the conscience and voice of the Ukrainian people.” Although he became an influential political figure, he in fact wrote his first much-lauded collection poetry, Kobzar, while in servitude as a serf.

The czar banned the initial publications of the Kobzar collection released in 1840. However, at the grassroots level it galvanized the seeds for Ukraine's identity.

The decision to pay tribute to Ukraine's eloquent poet was made in 2014, the 200th anniversary of his birth. It was at that time, that Shumka started discussions based on four of Shevchenko's poetic pillars – destiny, soul, courage and hope, said creative director John Pichlyk.

He went on to explain that the name KOBZAR was borrowed from kobzar, the name of itinerant bards who sang to the accompaniment of a multi-stringed kobza.

“They would travel through the land and remind people of heroic deeds. They were the keepers of history. When put together, they reflected the spirit of the people. They became their own vision of a kobzar and in doing so shaped the character and identity of Ukrainian people. It is part of the literary freedom. Every culture has oppressors and listening to poetry provided inspiration to Ukrainians,” Pichlyk explained.

The Sturgeon Country resident goes on to say that KOBZAR has a universal message that tries to express and evaluate the human condition.

“We took Shevchenko's four poems and put it to music. We added a symphonic score and in this project we added the human voice. We blended 40 plus choristers in the musical score. Then came the choreography and a lot of collaborative work.”

Pichlyk adopted a team approach working with long-time collaborators that included choreographic lead Viktor Lytvynov, music composer Yuri Shevchenko, costume designer Maria Levytska and visual artist Valeriy Semenko.

“It was a journey of discovery and excitement, but it has taken two years to find that collaborative blend to express the depth we wanted.”

KOBZAR begins with the pillar of destiny in a setting where the Milky Way is central to life. Serving a dual purpose, this heavenly constellation represents both a physical compass for the kobzars and moral compass for the people.

At the outside, a young orphan child becomes the helper of an older kobzar, travelling from city to city. In their odyssey, Mother Earth appears as the soul of the nation offering nurturing guidance and love to the child.

“In the third act courage steps forward. You have to fight for the feelings you believe in. Stand up and be counted. But with courage, there is often tragedy, despair, death and darkness.”

The fourth and final pillar creates a resolution through hope that lies buried in the human spirit.

“KOBZAR is the torch we carry to be good citizens. It's important to have principals and to carry them out. It's about rediscovering our foundations and the touchstones in our culture in a new way.”

Costs for KOBZAR are hefty $350,000 plus a lot of volunteer time including creative direction, production coordination and marketing.