A Letter to our Community
Below is a kind letter about our latest annual performance. We thank Matt for taking the time to write such heartfelt words.
Dear Ukrainian Community,
On Saturday, June 3rd, the Ukrainian Cultural Arts Association of Greater Cleveland presented their spring concert at the Breen Center in Ohio City. a wonderful venue that the group has been using for the past couple of years. Most years, the concert is performed by the Kashtan School of Ukrainian Dance with a few guest performers. The concerts generally highlights dances from the various age groups of the school. Being a dancer myself and having served as President of the organization for over a decade, I personally look forward to this show and always find it enjoyable. In addition, having left the board of directors in 2013, I really got to enjoy the show as most of our community, as a parent and lover of Ukrainian culture. We have many great organizations in our community and I commend all of them for their part in promoting, preserving and showcasing our beautiful culture. So, as I speak about the UCAA spring concert, I have no intention of comparing it to all the great things other organizations are accomplishing.
Kashtan has had many directors over the years and all of them deserve the thanks of the community, but, this year, the board brought back the founding director, Markian Komichak. Congratulations to the board and Markian for putting together one of the best shows I have seen in the Ukrainian community in a very long time. This years show not only featured Kashtan, but also the UCAA’s other performing group, Zorya. In addition, Harmonia, a musical group with which many of you are familiar, joined the show. The show was a beautiful blend of music, dance and song featuring each group individually and, at many times, all the groups on stage at the same time. The show started with Pryvit performed by Kashtan to live music performed by Harmonia. Zorya joined the stage during the next dance and the audience was treated to all three groups performing at the same time. Then, we enjoyed songs performed by Zorya. The group has grown to over twenty singers and under the direction of Natalia Basladsynsky-Mahlay; the arrangements and vocal harmonies are polished and that truly makes this organization a bright star in our community. Harmonia’s turn was next and they did not disappoint. Featuring cymbala in the center of the stage and numbers featuring a sopilka and violin, the group treated the audience to the sounds of our culture. The show continued for the next hour in a half much the same way; a wonderful balance of song, music and dance. The show ended with Kashtan performing the Virsky Hopak, a first for our dance group. All in all, a show that reminded all of us why we are so proud to be Ukrainian.
I wanted to share this with all of you because it was mentioned at the concert that the UCAA would be making a big fundraising push in the near future. They provided a list of items the organization needs, including costumes, practice equipment, and so on. The UCAA is coming up on its 40 year anniversary and I encourage everyone to find it in their hearts to donate. This is not about costumes, trips and equipment, it is about the hearts and souls of our children. The UCAA promotes all the things we want our children to know about our rich culture. This organization has had many dedicated board members working hard to preserve our traditional dances, songs and music. They simply cannot do it well without the support of all of us.
Thank you,
Matthew Zappernick