Aug. 25, 2009

***Ukrainian dance company comes to the World Theater ***

Imagine colorful costumes and leaping dancers exploding across the stage and you have a hint of what the Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company will bring to California State University, Monterey Bay's World Theater at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 22 as the Performing Arts Series opens its ninth season.

Ukraine didn't become an independent country until 1991 with the breakup of the Soviet Union, but the culture of the Ukrainian people has been evolving for more than a thousand years. Much of what Americans think of as "Russian" - borscht, elaborately decorated Easter eggs and Cossack dances, for example - is actually Ukrainian.

The 15 pieces on the program - and the company that includes 70 dancers and 10 musicians - will provide a visual delight. Each piece features brilliantly colored costumes that reflect the various traditions of this country that borders Romania, Poland, Russia and the Black Sea, and dancers that careen around the stage in the 18th-century equivalent of break dancing. The dances are romantic, optimistic, humorous and occasionally melancholy.

Ballet master Pavlo Virsky founded the company in 1937 to preserve the folk dances of his country. No "folk" ever danced like this, of course. The company is made up of highly skilled professional dancers with a great deal of ballet training. Dance lovers will appreciate the athleticism and technical brilliance on display.

Since 1980, Myroslav Vantukh, a choreographic ethnographer, has served as artistic director of the company his mentor created. He has made it a showcase for national pride.

The company last toured North America in 2004, with appearances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago. This fall, it will perform in 67 cities in the United States and Canada.

"The Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company is one of the most exciting ethnic dance companies in the world, and we're delighted to have them at CSU Monterey Bay," said World Theater Director Joe Cardinalli.

"It's a big, colorful show that will appeal to a wide variety of people," Cardinalli said. "While we try to entertain, we also try to present a diversity of artists in keeping with the university's vision."

Tickets range from $10 to $40 and may be purchased by calling the World Theater box office at (831) 582-4580 or online at csumb.edu/worldtheater. A special offer is in effect for this season – buy one ticket, get one free! This offer is limited to the first 100 tickets sold for each performance. Limit two per customer (get up to two free tickets).

For disability-related accommodations, please contact the World Theater box office no later than 10 days prior to the performance.

The World Theater is located on Sixth Avenue on the CSUMB campus. Driving directions and a campus map are available at CSUMB.edu/map.

Other performances scheduled for the season include:

• Oct. 23, Woods Tea Company – a Vermont-based musical group that performs bluegrass, Celtic tunes, sea shanties and folk songs. The award-winning group uses a dozen instruments in their performance, including banjos, bezoukls, bodhrans, guitars and tin whistles. • Dec. 11 and 12, A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens classic story produced as a live radio drama, featuring Actor's Equity guest artist Paul Myrvold in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. Other actors play a variety of roles in this radio drama adaptation, with live sound effects, music and multi-media. • March 4, Mind Boggling: The Show – Multi-talented performer Andy Gross's show consists of comedy, magic, illusion, theater and ventriloquism blended together seamlessly to create an evening of entertainment suitable for all ages. • April 15, Brenda Wong Aoki – A one-woman show with live musicians, featuring Aoki in the Legend of the Morning Glory, a Kabuki tale of a rich girl who falls in love with a poor boy, separated from the boy the girl weeps until she goes blind. Wandering the countryside she becomes the Morning Glory, an itinerant storyteller. Until one day, years later.... Aoki has broken barriers and establishes a new artistic genre as a contemporary American storyteller. • May 6, Perla Batalla – This Grammy-nominated vocalist, composer and arranger returns to the World Theater for an encore performance. Batalla's mission of honoring her roots and exposing young audiences to the beauty of music and the Spanish language is ongoing in her outreach endeavors throughout the United States. We are delighted to bring Perla and her group back to the university stage.