Zabava press coverage

We got some great press the morning after our zabava last Friday - you can read all about it below (aj verziu po slovensky!):

At Carpatho-Rusyn Cultural Center: Slovak mayor enjoys dance

V Kultúrnom centre karpatských Rusínov

Slovenský primátor má rád tanečnú zábavu

Napísala Kelly Fennessy
reportérka Daily News

Kultúrne centrum v meste Munhall získava vďaka špeciálnemu hosťovi medzinárodné uznanie.

Takmer 100 ľudí prišlo v piatok večer do budovy Národného kultúrneho a vzdelávacieho centra karpatských Rusínov na Dickson Street na úplne prvú typickú rusínsku tanečnú zábavu.

Zábavy sa zúčastnil aj špeciálny hosť, primátor slovenského mesta Prešov Pavel Hagyari, ktorý svojou zastávkou v tomto centre zakončil svoju šesťdňovú návštevu regiónu mesta Pittsburgh. Prešov a Pittsburgh sú partnerskými mestami.

„Je nádherné stretnúť tak ďaleko od svojej domoviny takých fantastických ľudí, ktorí majú svoje korene v Európe,“ povedal pán Hagyari. „Pittsburgh je také nádherné mesto.“

Povedal, že jeho prastrýko sa prisťahoval do Pittsburghu na konci 19. storočia, a preto má v tomto regióne mnoho príbuzných. Povedal, že si vychutnal návštevu „Slovenského hlavného mesta Spojených štátov.“

Slávnostného večera sa zúčastnil aj primátor mesta Munhall Raymond Bodnar, ktorý vyslovil potešenie zo stretnutia s pánom Hagyarim. Pán Bodnar povedal, že mesto Prešov navštívil a mal možnosť spoznať tamojšiu kultúru.

„Som rád, že sa nám naskytla príležitosť pozdraviť pána Hagyriho a presvedčiť ho o našej pohostinnosti,“ povedal pán Bodnar. „Kedykoľvek nás bude chcieť opäť navštíviť, radi ho znova privítame.“

Počas večera učil choreograf folklórneho súboru Slavjane pán Dean Poloka účastníkov tancovať rusínske tance a spolu si zaspievali aj národnú rusínsku hymnu „Ja som bol Rusín, som a vždy budem [Я Русин был, єсмь, и буду]“.

Toto podujatie bolo prvé svojho druhu a organizátori dúfajú, že sa bude konať každé dva mesiace. Vedúca kultúrneho centra Maryann Sivak povedala, že bola s priebehom podujatia spokojná a potešilo ju, že sa ho mohli zúčastniť obidvaja primátori.

„Týmto sa snažíme odvďačiť komunite mesta Munhall,“ povedala. „Pán primátor Bodnar je fantastický, skutočne sa zaujíma o celú oblasť a nás.“

Centrum otvorilo svoje dvere v roku 2006, čo bolo dva roky po tom, ako Karpato-Rusinske Obščestvo kúpila bývalý gréckokatolícky cirkev Sv. Jána a premenila ho na miesto konania stretnutí.

Karpatskí Rusíni prišli zo strednej Európy, pričom ich domovina sa rozprestiera na južných a severných svahoch Karpát, na miestach, kde sa stretávajú hranice Ukrajiny, Slovenska a Poľska. Karpatskí Rusíni nikdy nemali svoj vlastný štát a od šiesteho storočia vždy žili ako národnostná menšina.

Karpato-Rusinske Obščestvo si za svoje centrum vybralo mesto Munhall, pretože mnoho Rusínov sa usadilo v údolí rieky Monongahela, a to v celom tomto regióne začínajúc od mesta Duquesne.

Zo 600 000 Rusínov žijúcich v Spojených štátoch amerických ich takmer 60 000 žije v Pensylvánii.

Pán Bodnar povedal, že ho teší skutočnosť, že sa skupina usadila v meste Munhall a zaviazal sa poskytnúť im maximálnu možnú podporu. „Ide o fantastickú vec,“ povedal.

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Fotografia – Kelly Fennessy/Daily News

Choreograf folklórneho súboru Slavjane Dean Poloka (v strede) učí účastníkov zostavy jednoduchých rusínskych tancov počas piatkového večera v Národnom kultúrnom a vzdelávacom centre karpatských Rusínov v meste Munhall.

Vedúca Národného kultúrneho a vzdelávacieho centra karpatských Rusínov v meste Munhall Maryann Sivak odovzdáva symbol uznania primátorovi mesta Prešov Pavlovi Hagyarimu (vľavo). Prizerá sa primátor mesta Munhall Raymond Bodnar.


Vydanie tohto článku inde je dovolené. Je ale potrebné o tom informovať na adrese kfennessy@dailynewsemail.com.

Zabava (Dance)

Nearly a hundred people gathered at our cultural center on Friday, July 16, 2010 for our first ever zabava.   The evening featured Rusyn music, dance, and plenty of food.  Happily it also attracted an unusually large number of "under twenty-somethings."

Mayors Pavel Hagyari and Raymond Bodnar

We were fortunate in having not one, but three honored guests:  Mr. Raymond Bodnar,  Mayor of Munhall, PA; Mr. Pavel Hagyari, Mayor of Presov, Slovakia; and Mr. Joe Senko,  Honorary Consul of the Slovak Republic in Pennsylvania.  Of course, since it was a dance, we suspect they were brought by their wives. 

Welcoming Senkos with bread and salt

Rus'kyj Muzikanty with Jerry Jumba

Rus'kyj Muzikanty (http://www.Ruskyjmuzikanty.com) provided lively music throughout the evening.  This folk group, which specializes in authentic Rusyn melodies, includes Jerry Jumba on accordion, Bob Bartko on acoustic guitar, Mike Liberatore on electric guitar, Dana Leasure on violin (fiddle to you Charlie Daniels fans), Brian Bartko on cymbali, and a guest appearance by a percussionist whose name I would be happy to mention had he given it to me.   Dean Poloka set up the sound system and stepped in with his mandolin whenever he wasn't dancing.

Dean leading our guests in a karichka

Mr. and Mrs. Hagyari waltzing

Dean, choreographer in residence of Slavjane, taught  Rusyn dance steps to those of our guests who were brave enough to try them on.  They burned up the floor with czardashes, karichkas, chapashs, and polkas.  Later on, in a throw-back to old Austria-Hungary, the band played a waltz for Mayor Hagyari and his wife as they took the floor.

Mayor Bodnar presenting Indian pin

What event featuring prominent politicians would be complete without some heart-felt speeches?  The evening had its share.  Mayor Bodnar presented his counterpart with a Indian pin symbolic of the Munhall mascot.  Maryann Sivak, Chairman of the Cultural Center Committee, presented a wood-burned plaque showing the building's facade to Mayor Hagyari.  Mayor Hagyari then addressed the crowd saying that his great uncle had emigrated to the States and he had many relatives here.  Since Presov is a sister city to Pittsburgh, he had spent a week in the area.  This evening's zabava was his last event before returning home.  He was very pleased that  Rusyn culture is prospering in America. 

Mary Huzinec and Alexandra

Christy Slifkey and Alexandra

Keri Poloka

Beth Poloka Liberatore

The evening was a great success, due in large part, as always, to the efforts of our volunteers.  The previous day, Christy Slifkey and her daughter Alexandra, Mary Huzinec and her daughter, also Alexandra, and Ann Swanson, with no daughter named Alexandra,  helped prepare the building for the dance.  John Righetti, C-RS President, correctly pointed out that our people require more than cheese and crackers to really have a party.  He prepared a roaster full of kolbassi and saurkraut and provided the buns to go with them.  Keri Poloka  and Beth Poloka Liberatore managed the food and drink tables.  Kerri's children Nick and Mickayla did whatever she told them to, both selling kolbassi (Jack would have been proud)  and helping with clean-up afterward.  John Schweich cheerfully collected everybody's money as they entered. 

Mike Vasilchek and John Schweich

Thank you all for coming.  Remember to mark your calendars for Saturday, October 16th.   This will be an all-day event featuring Rusyn Fest III, our annual meeting, and a spirited zabava to conclude the evening.

Written by:  Maryann Sivak (cfa@c-rs.org).

ANNOUNCEMENT

Event:  Rusyn Zabava (Dance)
When:  Friday, July 16, 2010
Time:   7:00 p.m.
Where:  Carpatho-Rusyn Society
            915 Dickson Street, Munhall, PA 
Phone:  412-567-3077

              

After a successful summer sing-along program with Jerry Jumba, we thought you would enjoy learning Rusyn dances to the tunes of his wonderful accordion and Bob Bartko’s guitar.

On Jul 16^th the C-RS National, in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Chapter, will be hosting a summer dance at the Cultural Center in Munhall.  Admission to this, our first zabava, will be $5.00 per person.  With your suppport, we hope that this will be the first of many.  We will be delighted to see you there.

We are pleased to announce that the mayor of Presov, Slovakia, and his wife will also be attending this dance.  Presov is Pittsburgh’s sister city.  John Righetti and I first met Mayor Hagyari at a Rusyn masquerade ball in February of 2009.  That evening he mentioned a possible trip to Pittsburgh.   Naturally, we invited him to come and tour our center.  We are very pleased that he did remember and are looking forward to his visit.


For those eager to learn authentic Rusyn dance steps, Dean Poloka will offer demonstrations.  You will also have the opportunity to practice steps before going on the floor.

Dean started his career with Slavjane in 1976 and was a member of the dance troupe for 13 years.  He won a Duquesne University Tamburitzans scholarship in 1989.  He has instructed and performed for several Junior Tamburitzan groups and the Pittsburgh International Folk Theater (PIFT).   With grants from the Carpatho-Rusyn Society and the Slavjane, Dean has studied traditional Carpatho-Rusyn dance styling and choreography with the well-known Sarisan, PUL'S, Dubrava, and Folklorny Subor Saris.  He is presently director and choreographer of Slavjane.


So please come and dance with us on July 16th.  This could be a great opportunity to show Dean's Slavjane youngsters that real fun begins after high school.

Written by:  Maryann Sivak (cfa@c-rs.org).

Rusyn Sing-along with Jerry Jumba

On  June 24^th we concluded our first Rusyn sing-along program with Jerry Jumba.  This 5-week session has been tremendously successful.  In fact, so successful that we have received numerous requests to start a new session.  We have averaged about 12 students at each class.  Jerry, who is an excellent teacher, taught us the Rusyn words and provided corresponding translations, which was a great help.  We were finally able to  sing the Rusyn songs that our ancestors loved so much. We learned not only some very colorful and humorous songs but also some liturgical old-slovanic songs. 

As John Schweich, C-RS trustee, said after he attended one of the sessions:  Aside from the benefit of witnessing a performance of  The Master Musicologist of Rusyn folk music, the sessions allow you to sing (and thereby speak) Rusyn in an anonymous,  "choral" setting without the pain of being stared at , so common in traditional spoken language classes.  Participating in the sing-along allows you experience the pronunciation and lively rhythms of colloquial contemporary Rusyn.

Thanks to all of you who came and made our event so successful.

Written by:  Maryann Sivak (cfa@c-rs.org).