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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЛЮТИЙ 2017 WWW.UNWLA.ORG 9 herself played the role of the bride in one of the reenactments. Songs were sung to her as she was dressed in embroidered fabrics, and the traditional bridal vinok (a wreath of flowers made of paper and preserved in wax) was placed on her head. Poet Serhiy Zhadan spoke about the current situation in Donbas, noting that “people are talking about crossfire, deaths, blood, tragedy, tears, about things that aren’t nice and are very fear-inducing. . . . I wanted to remind you about another Donbas . . . . remember that our fellow countrymen live there, our brothers and sisters who hold the same passports as we do . . . . we need to support the people that had to leave their homes, the villages and cities where they were born . . . . just like us, they are citizens of Ukraine.” The show performed at the Ukrainian Museum was a perfect balance of Mariana’s songs, Julian Kytasty’s masterful and delicate bandura playing, and vivid backdrop projections by Waldemart Klyuzko. The performance seemed to evoke emotion in every audience member, albeit for different reasons. Some were remembering the idyllic image of a Ukraine they had grown up with, some were remembering their homes, and some were thinking about those struggling because of the war. Mariana composed the song “Fear.” The immediacy of fear was emphasized by Waldemart Klyuzko’s projections, which surrounded the audience, climbing up onto the ceiling like tree branches but also giving the impression that they could be traditional Ukrainian embroidery. During Mariana’s rendi- tion of Serhiy’s poem “Take What Is Most Important,” Julian’s frenetic bandura playing evoked turmoil, highlighting his ability to bridge the traditional and the contemporary through music. Mariana’s image and movements were projected on the screens, which were placed on the stage like windows to one of the homes that Mariana and Yara Arts Group visited. The color choices represented emotions, and Mariana’s image was saturated in blue, a reflection of the sadness of the refugee state, of refugees taking only what can be carried in their arms. Later projections, in red, could be easily interpreted as bloodshed. Lyuba Yakimchuk’s poems were also emphasized by Waldemart’s projections and Mariana’s clipped words. Lyuba’s poems focus on the deconstruction of language. She twists the march (марш) that is associated with soldiers into the scar (шрам) it leaves. In her well-known poem “Decomposition” she uses language to represent the occupation of her native city Luhansk. It is no longer Luhansk, but just Hansk. While Mariana dissects them with her voice, these words are literally torn apart in the projections that occupy the performance space. The powerful show ended with tears shed over the precious freedom and space to create art and sympathy for those engaged in the struggle, as Serhiy mentioned, people just like us. For the audience, the overarching impression was that Mariana not only sought to create art in the place it originated, but also to share art with audiences in distant places. As a child I sometimes fell, Hard enough for it to hurt; Though my heart with pain would swell, Yet I rose without a word They asked me: “Did you hurt yourself?” “I’m all right I would reply — My pride would then asset itself: I laughed in order not to cry But now the drama soon will end; For me, a bitter cup to sip, And a clever epigram Is on the brink of tongue and lip. But laughter can be merciless: I fear the blade of open chaff. And surrendering my pride, I cry in order not to laugh. - Lesya Ukrainka, February 1897 Translation by Gladys Evans
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