The “Twin Districts of Andriivsky Uzviz and Montmartre” is the new initiative of Oleh Skrypka, the leader of the music band Vopli Vidopliasova. Within the framework of this project Ukrainian vechornytsi (traditional evening or night gatherings of young people) will take place on Montmartre. The pre-premiere show of the project was organized at the Atelier Karas art gallery in Kyiv on December 14. The show was performed in the best traditions of Ukrainian evening parties: with singing, dancing, and rites of courtship. Admittance was by invitation only.
“Vechornytsi on the eve of St. Andrew’s day is, in fact, a dress rehearsal for the open vechornytsi scheduled for January 17 on Montmartre in Paris,” says Skrypka, “The program features the Choboty z Buhaya music group and my joint performance with Le Grand Orchestra. We will also show the rite of ‘walking Malanka’. As folklorists told me, Malanka used to be walked around villages all over Ukraine during the New Year and Christmas celebrations. The rite was observed until the 1930s. Nowadays the tradition is best preserved in Volyn, Bukovyna and Galicia.
“When you are seriously into something, naturally, you need some progress. In the last five years the Country of Dreams festival achieved wide acclaim and became a notable event. And I asked myself: why don’t we start a cultural expansion westwards, at least to Europe? Sure enough France as our possible destination came to mind at once. I lived in Paris once and still have a lot of connections there. And, all the more so, there is Montmartre there! I used to have an apartment on Montmartre. I performed on Montmartre! That is why I know its peculiarities and understand how to represent Ukraine in an interesting way. Many people are facilitating this new project. They are even ready to go to Paris. It will be nice to have a large group of support from Kyiv and other cities.”
You said you know Montmartre’s peculiarities well. Are you able to foresee the reaction of the audience in Paris?
“I can assure you that the spectators’ reaction will be most favorable. However, we face a difficult task: we have to get mass media coverage. It will be nice to have articles about us published in serious papers such as Le Figaro or Le Monde.”
How is this project going to be implemented from the French side?
“Of course we are going to present Montmartre on Andriivsky Uzviz. We are thinking about doing this in spring. We are looking for French partners who will be ready to bring French actors and musicians to Kyiv. In a nutshell: there are plenty of ideas but the scenario has not ripened yet.”
