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Выдавец: Беларускі Інстытут Навукі й Мастацтва
Памер: 219с.
Нью Йорк 2013
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BELARUSIAN DAY AT THE WORLD’S FAIR IN NEW YORK CITY, 1964
By Vitaut Kipel4
This was an important event in the life of Belarusian-Americans. Belarusians were invited to participate in the artistic programs of the world exhibition and to sponsor a Belarusian Day.
Two major Belarusian organizations — the Belarusian-American Association and the Belarusian Congress Committee — accepted the invitation and formed a Festival committee which consisted of the leadership of both organizations as well as members-atlarge. The committee was chaired by Michas Tulejka and other members included John Kasiak, Mikhas Bachar, Dr. Jan Zaprudnik, Dr. Frank Romano, Eugene Nestor, Dr. Alla OrsaRomano, and Miss Nina Kaval.
Belarusian Day was scheduled for June 21st, 1964. It was an excellent show; about 120 performers took part in the program, which lasted well over
three hours, and consisted chiefly of dances and songs, both popular and classical, and variety numbers. Dance groups were from Cleveland, led by Uladzimier Duniec, and New York, led by Dr. Alla Orsa-Romano. Also, individual dancers from New Brunswick, N.J. and Canada (the Ragula brother and sister) shared the stage.
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Cover of World's Fair Belarusian Day Program.
South River choir at the World's Fair.
The vocal music portion of the program was performed by Belarusian choirs from South River, New Jersey, and New York. The South River choir was led by Ksavery Barysaviets and Dzimitry Weresow while the ensemble from New York consisting of Liza Markouskaja, Klava Jarashevich and Halina Orsa, was under the direction of Mrs. Elza Zubkovich. Belarusian participation at the World's Fair was received with great enthusiasm by all Belarusian communities in the United States and Canada. In addition to performances at the Belarusian Day in 1964, individual groups were invited numerous times to participate at State Days, such as New York and New Jersey, in 1965.
Dancers of the Belarusian Youth Association of America on the Belarusian Day at World's Fair.
On the 'Time of the Cold War
After a successful performance at the World's Fair in New York City, the New Jersey-based choirs and dance groups continued performing in the state and beyond. The 1960s and 1970s, one should be reminded, were a time of intense ideological and political confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. The clash affected
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many spheres of life, heightening the U.S. government's attention to the Captive Nations' struggle for freedom in the USSR and sharpening coverage by the American independent press of that struggle. East European immigration groups were intensely active in keeping the attention of Americans on this problem.
Below is a selection of quotations from New Jersey newspapers reflecting those years and shedding light on the cultural and informational activity of Belarusians in the state of New Jersey.
At an East-European ^estivaf5
The dance group of the Belarusian-American Youth Association directed by Eugene Lysiuk took part in a big festival of East European music and dance. The festival was organized by the Slavic East European Cultural Club in Jersey City, NJ. The club was founded last year at Jersey City State College.
The festival was held on Sunday, October 1st, 1971 in the college hall. Participants were choirs and dance groups of the following nationalities: Belarusian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, and Slovenian.
The Belarusian dance group presented two dances, Liavonikha and Mikita. The dances left a very good impression on the audience of about five hundred.
Gf rowing Activity of Our Уout fl 6
I think we should
take notice of the work being done by the Belarusian-American Youth Association in regards to the popularization of Belarusian folk art in New York and New Jersey. Our young people take part in numerous cultural events and art displays. In an outstanding way they represent
On excursion with Joan Haberle, State Secretary of New Jersey.
Belarusian folk art: songs, dances and national costumes. They do it on a high level and, more importantly, systematically.
On the 19th of May this year I happened to be at one such art presentation where the dance group from New Jersey, directed by Dr. Alla Romano, wonderfully presented a string of Belarusian folk dances. Mrs. Romano herself gave a half-hour lecture on Belarus, her national dress and folk arts. The evening left a pleasant impression. Talking with the organizers of that event — that was one of the series of performances in the serial New York City Festival of Folk Art — I learned that presentations by the Belarusian youth were eagerly awaited by the organizers and the public. This time the audience was several hundred strong. 1 also was told that Belarusians have been participating in the program for twenty five years. Twenty five years! Isn't it outstanding work?! Systematically and reliably, the young generation (almost all of them were bom in America) popularizes Belarus.
Many changes occurred during this time, but the program goes on. On the evening of May 19th, only three people were from among the pioneers of that program: Mrs. Alla Romano and Messrs. Auhien (Eugene) Lysiuk, one of the first leaders of the youth organization, and George Azarko, a veteran of these performances. It's noteworthy that participation of Belarusians in these presentations has been growing richer each year. Thus, this year Belarusian youth gave two performances: one mentioned above and one in February when the New York dance group Miatsielitsa (snowstorm), directed by Misses Nina Zaprudnik and Raisa Stankevich, presented nearly a one hour program, and Ms. Stankevich, the leader of the Association, gave a lecture on Belarusian culture.
BELARUSIAN YOUTH IN NEW JERSEY CELEBRATE THE BICENTENNIAL
By Alice Kipel 7
The Belarusian-American youth in New Jersey helped to commemorate the American Bicentennial for over a year and the culmination of all these activities occurred in December at the Inn of Trenton, New Jersey. During the nation's Revolutionary era, Trenton and the surrounding locales, such as Princeton, were crucial for the Americans in their eventual victory over the British Redcoats. Hence, starting on December 1976, two hundred years after the original crossing, a group of Revolutionary War buffs, led by General George Washington,
crossed the Delaware River from Pennsylvania into New Jersey and
surprised the Hessian soldiers (who were all sleeping and drunk from celebrating) in Trenton to set the scene for the Ten Crucial Days to
come.
Various skirmishes took place in Trenton. While safely secluded in the Inn, the Belarusians set up a display of ethnic costumes and crafts, as well as artwork by Belarusian-American artists. Members of Belarusian youth organizations in South River, Highland Park and New York manned the display at different times, naturally, dressed in their full Belarusian costumes. On the opening day of the exhibit, December 26, Governor Brendan Byrne of New Jersey paid tribute to the various ethnic groups which have built America. He stopped to chat with the Belarusians and recalled that it was the Belarusians who
gave him an embroidered pillow for the back seat of his limousine.
While the battles still raged on December 29, the Belarusian folk dancing group Lanok from South River danced at the Inn. The girls performed Belaruskaya Polka and Miatsielitsa. Their youth and enthusiasm is and will be greatly appreciated by older Belarusian dancers who are constantly seeking replacements.
Vasilok dancers with Alla Orsa-Romano, the choreographer/director (front, center).
Vasilok dancing in NYC Central Park.
The next day, Washington and his troops were still in the area, but they are not the only ones whose presence was acknowledged by the local New Jersey television stations — members of the folk dancing group Vasilok made that evening's news broadcast. Dancers Rahnieda Hutyrchyk, Irene Silwanowicz, Natalia Rusak, Leon Wojtenko, George Kipel and Michael Schwed became TV stars as they danced Liavonikha. The group, including some of its other non-celebrity
members, also danced Mikita, Polka Yanka and Polka Vasilok. Danczyk Andrusyshyn sang and played on the guitar some favorites such as Belarusachka and Spadchyna. Throughout all the performances, TV cameras filmed the Belarusians for a future broadcast. Thus, the Belarusians completed their participation in the Ten Crucial Days, while the Redcoats and Washington's troops continued on to Princeton for the British siege of the university and the battle from which the Americans would emerge victorious.
THE HRST BELARUSIAN HERITAGE FESTIVAL
A TRIBUTE TO AMERICA’S BICENTENNIAL
Garden State Arts Center Holmdel, New Jersey June 12, 1976
Sometime in the fall of 1975, the New Jersey Highway Authority made a proposition to the Belarusian community to honor America's Bicentennial with a concert at the Garden State Arts Center (which was under the Authority's tutelage). The news was delivered by Dr. Vitaut Kipel who was active not only in Belarusian life, but also in the Republican Party. Through his political contacts he had met Fred Week, who served as administrator of the Highway Authority's Garden State Cultural Center Fund. One of Week's duties was maintenance of contacts with the various ethnic groups in the State for the representation of Heritage Festivals. The proposal was met enthusiastically.
At the first meeting of the organizational committee, at South River's Belarusian-American Center on November 14, 1975, Kipel explained to an audience of about 60 people the conditions under which the proposal would be acceptable to the Garden State Cultural Center: the Belarusian side should take upon itself advertisement, ticket sales, concert organization and the exhibition of artifacts. Also, at least three thousand spectators were to be expected to attend the event. Not a small task! Such a crowd would be an unprecedented gathering of Belarusians in one place. Everybody understood that the challenge indeed was immense. However, the reward also looked tremendous.
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