A WINTER FESTIVAL OF POETRY IN A FIFTH AVENUE MANSION

[Hanya Krill]

Jan. 29-31

Poetry: Installations and Performances

A WINTER FESTIVAL OF POETRY
IN A FIFTH AVENUE MANSION

Yara Arts Group and the Ukrainian Institute of America will
present Poetry: Installations and Performances on January
29-31, 1999. The weekend long festival of poetry will
include three major events: an art exhibit, performances of
poetry by Yara actors and poetry readings by poets. All the
events will take place at the Ukrainian Institute of
America at 2 East 79th Street at Fifth Avenue in New York.

Yara has invited fifteen visual artists to create
installations inspired by poems throughout the rooms of the
Institute's newly restored Fifth Avenue Mansion.
Participant artists include Judith Campbell, Yarko Cigash,
Anya Farion, Petro Hrytsyk, Luba Kierkosz, Alex Kytasty,
Larisa Lawrynenko, Margaret Morton, Ana Rewakowicz, Joel
Schlemowitz, Anna Sidorenko, Ilona Sochynsky, Watoku Ueno,
Sergei Yakunin and Hilary Zarecky. Most of the artists have
chosen to work with poems by contemporary Ukrainian poets,
such as Oleh Lysheha, Vasyl Makhno, Attila Mohylny and
Oksana Zabuzhko. Some have chosen poems from the 1920s, and
others will elaborate on ancient incantations. The art
exhibit will open on Friday, January 29, at 8PM and the
works will remain on exhibit throughout the weekend.

A special gala at 8PM, Saturday, January 30, will feature
Yara actors performing portions of their new work, InVerse.
Yara's process is unique. In rehearsals, members bring
together poems written by Ukrainian authors and
translations of these poems by Virlana Tkacz and Wanda
Phipps. The translations are created specifically for the
project during rehearsals with actors to attain a sensitive
and dynamic commingling of the original and translated
texts. The artists plait an original poem with its
translation so that the narrative can be understood by
everyone and the melody of the original is maintained. It
is a process best described as two languages speaking to
each other. Bob Holman, producer of the PBS series World of
Poetry, recently saw Yara perform and was fascinated by
what he insisted is a new genre of performance, created by
Yara. InVerse weaves together Ukrainian poetry from ancient
folk incantations to the newest, most exciting writers
working today and is performed Cecilia Arana, Tom Lee,
Xenia Piaseckyj and Shona Tucker. InVerse is structured on
the musical collaboration of Obie award-winning composer,
Genji Ito and Julian Kytasty, premiere artist of both
traditional and experimental bandura. Also included is
music by composer Roman Hurko. A reception will follow the
performance on Saturday. At 3pm on Sunday, January 31,
poets such as Maria Rewakowicz will read their own work.

Yara Arts Group is a resident company at the
internationally acclaimed La MaMa Experimental Theatre in
New York. The group creates original theatre pieces that
celebrate the cultures of the East. Yara's pieces include:
A Light from the East, Explosions, Blind Sight, Yara's
Forest Song, Waterfall/Reflections, Wayward Wind and
Virtual Souls. Yara's newest work, Flight of the White
Bird, will premiere at La MaMa March 6-21, 1999. Poetry:
Installations and Performances is the eighth major poetry
event Yara has presented at the Ukrainian Institute. The
Ukrainian Institute of America is located at 2 East 79th
Street on the corner of Fifth Avenue in New York. Tickets
for Poetry: Installations and Performances are available
for each event at $15 for Friday and Sunday, $20 for
Saturday, and $35 for the entire festival. For further
information call Yara (212) 475-6474 or The Ukrainian
Institute (212) 288-8660.

January 29-31, 1999, 8PM & 3PM

Ukrainian Insitute of America
2 East 79th St at Fifth Avenue
New York, NY
URL: http://www.brama.com/uia/
TEL: (212) 288-8660
FAX: (212) 288-2918
CONTACT: Stephanie Charczenko
EMAIL: yara at prodigy.net
URL: http://www.brama.com/yara/