Lights, Sound, Action

Overview:

Vitayemo~Welcome. We are the Ukrainian Performing Arts Group housed at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Vancouver. Our organization consists of a senior dance troupe, Dovbush; a School of Ukrainian Dancing; Barvinok Ukrainian choir; and the Vancouver Folk Orchestra, one of the oldest folk orchestras in Vancouver. Each one of these disciplines has a professional director or conductor guiding the program. Ukrainian culture is known for its invigorating dance, lively music, singing and food. Over many decades, the memories and traditions forged in this Centre joins members and guests into a unique artistically rich community. The programs start at the pre-school age with dance groups right up to orchestra members in their nineties! When it comes time to make perogies for community dinners, generations of families come to pinch and to connect with each other and our heritage. There are so many wonderful conversations that start with "I learned to dance here and now so are my children.." or grandchildren!

The Ukrainian Cultural Centre is celebrating its over 80 years in this well known neighbourhood of Strathcona. Located at the edge of Chinatown and in the heart of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, the sounds of music, dance and the rich aroma of traditional foods fills the air of this vibrant old building that was built in 1928. This building has a long and proud history. Built by new immigrants doing volunteer labour and providing financial donations, it soon became the home of many notable historical moments. These include being the divisional headquarters for the 'On to Ottawa' trekkers in 1935, hosting scores of benefit concerts for local and international disasters, and for women sewing clothing for the soldiers in the armed forces in WWII, just to name a few. The Ukrainian Cultural Centre is looked upon by many as one of the pillars standing strong amidst one of the most marginalized communities in Vancouver. The community looks to this building for encouragement and pride. Several years ago, when the Centre underwent a renovation, many homes and businesses in the area soon followed and underwent renovations of their own.

We are honoured to be recognized by the arts community as a venue for live performances. In fact, last fall when Virsky, a professional dance troupe from the Ukraine, landed in Vancouver to start its Canadian tour, we were called upon to host a "Welcome" evening. The live performances hosted by the Centre are well known throughout Vancouver. They include the Heart of the City Festival closing concert, dinner and dance, and the East Vancouver Culture Crawl, coming up this month. We attract patrons from across the lower mainland, and reflect the cultural diversity of our city. Our auditorium is utilized by theatre groups, multi-cultural performers, and all musical genres. Last month during a perogy pinching session, we worked along to the beating of a three day African Drum workshop!

This brings us to the challenge we are currently facing. Our 80 year old home is in great need of upgrading its lighting, sound and electrical systems. These improvements are vital to the future of this building. We have struggled with the sound system being insufficient during our own three annual performance events, where the Ukrainian Performing Arts groups showcase their repertoire for the season. Unfortunately our old building is not wired adequately to handle the demands of modern day lighting and sound systems. Other groups also patiently work around these deficiencies in order to benefit from the unique aspects of our Hall, such as its historic character and proximity to the city centre. Recently, a theatre group struggled to set up the lighting they required. When lighting on the mezzanine level was turned on, the additional stage lighting they rented for the performance would go out. The director persevered despite these setbacks. However we were left with an acute awareness that our outdated systems will affect our future ability to rent out our auditorium and thus impact our overall financial viability.

Our executive has many other capital projects that need to be addressed in the near future. They all require significant electrical upgrades and rewiring as part of the project. If we are so privileged as to receive your financial support, it would allow us to move forward with future plans, in a much more self-sustaining building. Sound and lighting upgrades would enable us to host many more performing arts groups. The revenues generated would afford us financial security to look toward other much needed facility improvements.

The Vancouver Ukrainian Performing Arts Group thanks you for your consideration and votes. We hope to welcome you soon to one of our upcoming events.