Virsky Company to Perform in the Bronx
As plans are underway to bring Mazowsze back to North America for a more extensive tour in 2010, folk dance enthusiasts can fill the void by experiencing the renowned Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company.
The spirit of Ukraine will come alive in swirls of color and precise patterns of dance when the company makes a return visit on Sunday, November 15 - 6 pm at the Concert Hall at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx. This stylized folk-inspired troupe was created in 1937 by Pavlo Virsky and Mykola Bolotov, and guided by Virsky until his death in 1975. In 1980, the company's artistic direction was overtaken by Myroslav Vantukh, Virsky’s disciple, who is creating new dances.
Many similarities and historical connections and shared boundaries can be found between Poland and Ukraine, not to mention the once-Polish city of Lwów, and the plight of the Eastern Carpathian Hutsul ethno-cultural group. Culturally and anthropologically the Hutsuły comprise a mix of Ukrainian, Hungarian, Rumanian, Polish and other types. Depending on the ever-changing boundaries, their inhabited territories sometimes included Poland - the last time being during the interwar period, when their land divided between Poland, Czechoslovakia and Romania.
Tickets for Virsky can be purchased at www.LehmanCenter.org or 718-960-8833.
