Previously unknown Ukraine

“This is success, this is grand success! Not a single other country was welcomed that much by Israeli public!” says Nelli Dinovetski, founder and director of Aurora Production, a company that specializes in large-scale cultural events. A big dance festival was just over in Karmiel, northern Israel. And Ukraine, represented by the Hryhorii Veriovka National Academic Folk Choir, participated in it for the first time in 26 years. The choir’s performance ended with a storm of applause and endless “bravos” from the audience.

Besides the debut at the festival, Ukraine was the only country that had a 90-minute-long solo performance during the event. All other countries shared other stages and time. “Such an enthusiastic welcome has to do with the professionalism of Ukrainian singers,” Dinovetski says, who invited Ukrainian choir in the framework of the Days of Ukrainian culture in Israel, organized by the Embassy of Ukraine to Israel and the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. Right after Karmiel, the choir set off on their first tour round Israel.

“Ukraine is steadily getting a better image every year. Before, everything Ukrainian was new to Israelis, because they had never heard or seen anything like that before. Well, except for immigrants from Ukraine, who knew all this and came to the concerts with nostalgia. Recent performances of the Veriovka Choir showed that in every city where the Days of Ukrainian culture in Israel took place, 90 percent of the audience were Israelis, while before 90 percent were immigrants from Ukraine, and only 10 percent – Israelis,” Dinovetski says.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT PROFESSIONALISM

Karmiel is a relatively small town with a population of 50,000. It is famous for its annual large-scale dance festival which lasts for three days in July. During this period, the town turns into one big festival platform. There are participants’ tents in the park and people in colorful costumes in the streets singing, dancing or just taking a walk. There is heavy traffic on the approaches to the town. Karmiel’s population increases five times, up to 250,000 people. Professional and amateur groups from dozens of countries come there to perform and present both folk and modern choreography. This year, 53 countries participated in the festival, among them being an Irish dance group, performers from Hungary and Uganda, and also our choir.

THE JEZZAR PASHA MOSQUE IN ACRE IS THE THIRD LARGEST IN ISRAEL AFTER AL-AQSA MOSQUE IN JERUSALEM AND MOSQUE IN HEBRON. IT WAS BUILT IN 1781 BY ORDER OF THE RULER AHMED AL-JEZZAR PASHA

“Our company is known around the world, but we received our first official invitation for a tour of Israel only now. A small troop arrived for the tour: 8 ballet pairs, 14 singers, and 11 musicians,” says Zynovii KORINETS, Honored Artist of Ukraine, managing director of the Veriovka Choir.

However, the smaller band performed as good. Moreover, the choir was definitely superior against the background of numerous sweet, interesting, but mostly amateur groups. Even during the final rehearsal Ukrainian artists were awarded with generous applause, even though they performed without costumes and according to the shortened version of the program. And one of the participants of a local dance group said in the conversation with The Day that the choir is “very cool and other ensembles are clearly losing in comparison with it.”

Performers brought about 80 costumes along, and also a brand new dulcimer, weighing 23 kilograms. The dulcimerist Vitalii says that the instrument was made by his father Mykola specifically for this tour. The dulcimer is of custom dimensions and was played for the first time on the eve of the flight. It took a couple of months to make it, though it usually takes about half a year. Unfortunately, when the choir was coming back to Ukraine, some representatives of the Ukraine International Airlines insisted on transporting the dulcimer in the luggage compartment, not allowing to take it on board. Upon arrival to Kyiv, it turned out that the new instrument was covered with shavings – they were tossed around and damaged hard.

SEVERAL MINUTES BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE: THE MUSICIANS ARE TUNING THEIR INSTRUMENTS

On the first day of the festival, the Veriovka Choir and a professional ensemble from Uganda were awarded the most generous applause. Perhaps, some might say that these companies owe their success to being somewhat exotic: folk costumes, dances, and singing are always interesting and unusual. However, the organizers already stressed that exotics was interesting, but the level of performance, professionalism, and ability to go all out were valued the most. “The Israeli audience is beginning to realize that besides their own culture, there are cultures of other countries out there. It is true, this is extremely interesting for them on a different scale. They already learned and saw what the Days of Culture in Ukraine were. They find it interesting and attractive,” Dinovetski says.

“FOR MANY, ISRAELAND UKRAINE ARE TWO HOMELANDS”

It is hot in Israel today. Pomegranates are ripening. The sea is warm as milk, and air conditioning is a salvation for only a very short time. One of the choir’s concerts, the one in Be’er Sheva, was cancelled, because the air temperature was creeping up to 60 degrees. But heat is probably the only disadvantage of touring. Everything else: the organization, public, technical staff, you name it are on the top level. It was already mentioned that the choir’s Israeli tour was organized by Nelli Dinovetski along with her team from Aurora Productions. The company has a vast experience in this field. They were the first ones to organize the Days of Ukrainian Culture in Israel five years ago. Before, such format did not even exist there. After that event, other countries started addressing the Ministry of Culture of Israel with an appeal to organize their Days of Culture as well.

A BALLET DANCER ADDS FINISHING TOUCHES TO HER IMAGE

“Historically it happened that for a long time only Russian stars were coming to Israel. They are known by at least people who come from Russia and other CIS countries. And Ukrainian stars were known to only those who came to Israel in the early 1990s. Children who were born here or came here in early childhood did not know any of them at all. We started bringing them over. And today when they hear that someone from Ukraine arrives, they know they should attend. Such cultural events are another thread that ties our two countries. For some, Israel and Ukraine are two homelands. I grew up in Ukraine and I know what Ukrainian culture is like. I had absolutely no doubt when I was choosing my profession,” says Dinovetski. Her company organized such events as annual Days of Ukrainian culture in Israel, Festival of Ukrainian Cinematography, project “From Ukraine with Love,” actions dedicated to anniversaries of Babyn Yar and the Holodomor, visits of Ukrainian performers and artists to numerous events in Israel. “We hosted ‘Kalyna’ and ‘Berehynia,’ and many singers, actors, and directors from Ukraine. I do not need to choose whom to invite – I know them all, I have it left from my Ukrainian life, and I keep close contacts with the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. Even if I do not know about a certain band, since a great number of new ones appeared after 1990, I just log into Facebook and find them there or ask for some videos to be sent to me, and that’s it. I would like to mention that no other country receives as much support from their embassy, as we do from the Embassy of Ukraine to Israel. It is not because I am from Ukraine myself and I love my homeland, but it is true indeed.”

By the way, Israelis make a very curious and grateful audience. During the performance, they are focused on what is happening on the stage, nobody bobs their head, taps their feet, or sings along. At some point, it may even seem they are dissatisfied with what they see. Not a single sound or movement comes from the audience. But as soon as the last chords die away, the hall literally explodes with applause and numerous bravo calls.

NOT JUST ENTERTAINMENT, BUT ALSO INVESTMENT

Similar festivals, and just the events that open up Ukraine to the world in general, are important not only for cultural exchange; they have much more far-going prospects, including economic ones. Because the country’s image is formed in this way, businessmen are among the people who discover a country for themselves. “What do Israelis know about Ukraine? They know Uman, because Hasidim go there, they know Kyiv, and start getting to know Odesa. I mean the native Israelis, those who come from Ukraine know everything about it. But for them – that is it. They do not know a single thing more. And it is very important for us that they learn about Ukraine, because when they do, they learn about various aspects, like tourism, economy, etc. I know that many Israeli businessmen, who happened to learn more about Ukraine, started investing their money in it and open their business projects there.”

A CONCERT EACH DAY. HOWEVER, THE AUDIENCE DO NOT EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT BECAUSE EVERY TIME UKRAINIAN ARTISTES PERFORM AS IF IT WERE THEIR FIRST TIME – WITH INSPIRATION, PROFESSIONALLY, SHOWING 100 PERCENT OF THEIR TALENT

Dinovetski says that nowadays Israeli have a much better image of Ukraine. Earlier, in the 1990s, she was even asked whether Ukrainians had… electricity. According to her, the Ukrainian cultural product can become Ukraine’s modern image abroad, it just needs to be actively promoted. And it does not matter who will do this and how it will be done, Dinovetski emphasizes. “For example, the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel provides tickets to Artek Summer Camps for Israeli children every year. The whole country talks about this already. Children compete for a year for the right to come and represent Israel there. I wish there were more such joint events for children, when we could send Israeli kids to Ukraine, and Ukrainian children could come here. Events of any nature would do. It does not even matter if the local government is organizing an event, and the level of the festival is not very high. It is important that tomorrow a hundred more people in Israel will know that there is such an event in Ukraine. It is only important that Ukraine is recognized. The way it is achieved is of no importance,” emphasizes Dinovetski.

And the current tour of the Veriovka Choir only confirms her words about the high level of the Ukrainian cultural product and demand for it abroad. The concerts of Ukrainian artists were practically sold out. The audience gave them a warm welcome. In its turn, the choir learned the anthem of Israel and finished every performance with it. It was an impressive and touching sight: the choir sings the anthem on the stage, and all the spectators stand and sing it too. It is a symbolic union of artists and viewers, Ukraine and Israel.

The Day thanks the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Ukraine for the opportunity to visit the festival in Karmiel and join the tour of the Hryhorii Veriovka National Academic Folk Choir.

P.S. Check out the upcoming issues of The Day for the author’s personal notes and impressions of Israel and the tour of the Hryhorii Veriovka National Academic Folk Choir.