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Season Opens With the Powerhouse Ukrainian National Dance Company |
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WICHITA, September 9, 2009 – With the success of Cinderella and Swan Lake from last year, the Wichita Grand Opera is proud to once again bring one of the finest dance companies in the world, direct from the heart of Ukraine. But this October, it will not be a classical ballet that graces the stage. No, audiences can expect so much more when WGO opens “The Season on a Grand Scale” as the Ukrainian National Dance Company takes the stage on Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 7pm. The New York Times heralds this phenomenal company of more than 80 members as “Astonishing,” demonstrating “bravura dancing at its greatest.” The Washington Post proclaims that they are “Crowd Pleasing by Leaps and Bounds!”
“It has been a tradition for the greatest opera houses throughout Europe to incorporate dance and ballet as an integral part of the true experience of each production,” said Parvan Bakardiev, General Director. “This is why the Wichita Grand Opera is proud to bring such a magnificent group to Wichita.”
With a power and precision never before seen, the Ukrainian National Dance Company thrills audiences worldwide with the high spirited hi-jinks of the Cossack Comic Dance as the dancers amaze with deep knee bends and demonstrations of athletic prowess as they fly through the air in high barrel rolls. In contrast to the hi-jinks that bring the audience to the edge of their seats, the same power and precision is also demonstrated time and again in tender moments and playful joyousness through the dancer’s interactions. Every move is so finely choreographed that there is never a moment during the program which the audience will have a chance to catch their breath.
Their phenomenal athletic precision is only matched by the beautiful, flamboyantly colored costumes, richly decorated in the colors of each region of the nation. Each region brings its own ethnic and cultural heritage into the mix: the fine couple courtship dances of the Carpathian Mountains to the west; the shepherd’s competitions of the plains, featuring small, deliberate steps; the Cossack regions to the east with thrilling barrel rolls and squatting dances; a dramatic rendition of Gogol’s Taras Bulba, the story of the great Ukrainian hero in his fight against Polish nobility; and the thrilling high jumps of the traditional Hopak, widely considered to be Ukraine’s national dance. As dancers launch themselves high in the air, they appear to be suspended in mid air on wires.
The Ukrainian National Dance Company continues to thrill audiences around the world with their on stage antics that mix traditional folk dances, some of which date back to the 16th Century with the acrobatics and the powerful drive of modern dance, and will continue to do so for years to come. My Ukraine! will be a season opening performance not to miss. For season subscriptions or single tickets, call the Wichita Grand Opera Box Office at 316.262.8054 or visit any local Select-A-Seat outlet at local area Dillons stores. Discounts are also available for seniors, students and active military, as well as for groups of 10 or more. For more information about this performance or the remainder of the 2009-2010, log onto www.WichitaGrandOpera.org.
This performance is sponsored in part by Galichia Heart Hospital, Cargill, Inc., and Dr. and Mrs. Steven Henson.
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