Performing at the ROM

A few weekends ago I decided to visit the Royal Ontario Museum to see the Mysteries of Ancient Ukraine: The Remarkable Trypilian Culture (5400-2700 BC) exhibit. The artifacts in this exhibit have been dated earlier than even the Pyramids, which is why I was very excited to go and see it.

I think because I am in a public history program, it is natural for me to notice the little things in an exhibit; the design, the flow of it, how they displayed the information, and so on. I am particularly interested in exhibit design myself and this one, in my opinion, was done very well. It was very artistic - the colours were rich and were drawn from the artifacts themselves - it had great flow to it, and had the “wow factor” that I like to see when you walk into a museum exhibit. People tend to take notice of the visual first; it is what draws them in, which is why I think design is so important. And I was particularly impressed with the design of this exhibit.

In November I had already had a chance to see some of the exhibit, when I performed at the gala opening and on Ukrainian Heritage Day. The choreographer of the Ukrainian dance company I am a part of was asked to work with a limited number of dancers on a special interpretive dance piece inspired by the artifacts of the Trypilian culture. I was one of the dancers selected to perform this piece. It was not the first time I had been asked to be a part of a special project for the ROM. In 2001 I had been selected to play the role of a princess in another modern piece choreographed for the Scythian Gold exhibit. We performed the Scythian dance approximately five times, including an appearance on Breakfast Television. That experience had been very memorable, which is why I was once again honoured and excited to be a part of another such project.

I had already enrolled in the MA program at the University of Western Ontario, when I was approached to dance for the opening of the Trypilian exhibit. By agreeing to be a part of this project, I committed myself to traveling back and forth on weekends for rehearsals in Toronto. As I have already mentioned in previous blogs, I have danced with the same group for over twenty years and have often seen my choreographer inspired by historical subjects. I think I owe some of my interest in public history to the creativity I have been exposed to through dance (other performances have included interpretive dances choreographed for the opening of a Ukrainian art exhibit and at a commemorative event for the famine in Ukraine).

In total there were 11 main dancers: four family members, six spirits, and one matriarch. It was a powerful piece that brought together two worlds – the secular and the spiritual. The dance started off slowly and kept building throughout, increasing with energy, until we all became one. As we were brought together by the matriarch, the end was not the end at all, but the beginning. A sense of rebirth was characterized at the end of the piece, as a little girl was brought into the world – a joyous gift for everyone.

The costumes were also inspired by the exhibit. The spirits wore hand-painted beige unitards, with a pattern that was comprised of brown and black painted swirls, which can be found on ancient Trypilian pottery. What is so remarkable is that these patterns are still used within Ukrainian culture today. My mother paints Ukrainian Easter eggs, and one of her favourite patterns to use is the tripisky pattern (which has the same colours and swirl patterns we see on the artifacts). The exhibit itself contained a lot of pottery, but it also displayed many small figurines, most of which were of the female figure. For this reason, the majority of the dancers were females and the costumes were created to emphasize the female form.

Working on this project was once again an unforgettable experience. I really enjoy being a part of creative projects in general as they inspire me, and I love to be inspired :). I think having us dance at the opening of the exhibit was a unique way of introducing the exhibit itself.

Photographs:
1) Catalogue of the Trypilian Exhibit edited by Krzysztof Cluk
2) Photograph taken by Markian Radomskiy
3) The dancers...