[aaus-list] Call for Action: HOPAK called a RUSSIAN dance in front of millions and millions of viewers!

[Olena Palyvoda]

Dear All!

Last night, the very popular FOX TV show "So You Think You Can Dance"
(watched by millions and millions of viewers) featured two of this year's
top male dancers wearing UKRAINIAN FOLK COSTUMES and dancing a HOPAK while
presenting it as a RUSSIAN dance "trepak." The lame excuse that such a dance
was used by Tchaikovsky in his ballet "The Nutcracker" does not justify such
a glaring misinformation on the part of the producers and, in particular, a
Russian choreographer who prepared this dance!

I strongly encourage all who find such an irresponsible promotion of Russian
imperialistic stereotypes offensive to all Ukrainians to WRITE IMMEDIATELY
to FOX TV:
at
askfox at foxinc.com
This information affects millions of viewers world wide!

WRITE RIGHT AWAY to the show's executive producer Nigel Lithgoe, so that
this ERROR may be publicly corrected on the final show of the season which
air TONIGHT! Such things will keep happening over and over again if we
remain passive!

For example, see my e-mail below sent to FOX TV.

Marko




To: Mr. Nigel Lythgoe
Executive Producer of
"So You Think You Can Dance"
FOX TV
 
HOW CAN YOU CALL IT A RUSSIAN DANCE?!!!!
 
Dear Mr. Lythgoe!
 
I have been watching the 2008 season of "So You Think You Can Dance" with
particular pleasure and interest. I commend you on your efforts to
popularize various styles of dance among the broad masses of viewers in the
US. I have admired the consistently high level of professionalism of the
choreographers and dancers on your show. I was also impressed by the fact
that this year you have been trying to bring the awareness of the dance
traditions of other cultures into the mainstream TV.
 
It was thus with great surprise and disappointment that I watched the last
night's season's finale of your show during which you featured two of this
year's top male dancers wearing UKRAINIAN FOLK COSTUMES and dancing a
TRADITIONAL UKRAINIAN DANCE "TROPAK" or "HOPAK" while ERRONEOUSLY presenting
it as a RUSSIAN dance "trepak"! This is not only a very uncharacteristic
sign of ignorance and lack of professionalism on the part of your staff, but
a grave INSULT to all people of Ukrainian extraction!
 
TROPAK or, more exactly, HOPAK was developed and danced by the UKRAINIAN
COSSACKS long before Ukraine was annexed by Russia. Neither the costumes
worn by your dancers, nor the dance itself have ANYTHING AT ALL to do with
the Russian culture! The fact that the famous composer Petr Tchaikovsky, who
was partly of Ukrainian Cossack origin, used not only Ukrainian dances
(practically unchanged), but also numerous Ukrainian folk melodies in his
works, does NOT make automatically these dances and melodies Russian!
 
If a British composer used French minuets or Scottish national dances in
his/her work, would you consider that these dances automatically become
English? I do not think so. Why then are you ready to promote such glaring
misinformation, based on Russian imperialistic prejudices, among the
millions of viewers of your show?
 
The TROPAK or HOPAK are such distinctive features of the Ukrainian national
tradition (which, as you should know, is very distinctive from the Russian
tradition in general) to such an degree that even the repressive Soviet
government never dared to suggest that they can be considered "Russian"
dances! It is truly regretful that it takes the ignorance of the British and
American consultants and the obvious lack of objectivity and professionalism
on the part of a Russian choreographer for such a misleading information to
be promoted among the millions of viewers all over the world!
 
Dear Mr. Lythgoe, I strongly believe in your professional ethics as a TV
producer and entertainer. I ardently request that you correct this GLARING
ERROR in your program and publicly explain that the dance that millions of
viewers watched on your yesterday's show was NOT RUSSIAN, BUT uniquely and
distinctively UKRAINIAN.
 
With best regards,
 
Dr. Marko R. Stech
 
 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++                    
Dr. Marko R. Stech
Managing Director, CIUS Press
Project Manager, Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine Project Manager,
Hrushevsky Translation Project
 
Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies
University of Toronto
256 McCaul Street, Rm. 302
Toronto, ON, M5T 1W5
tel: (416) 946-7326; fax: (416) 978-2672 www.utoronto.ca/cius
www.encyclopediaofukraine.com
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++                    
Dr. Marko R. Stech
Managing Director, CIUS Press
Project Manager, Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine Project Manager,
Hrushevsky Translation Project

Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies
University of Toronto
256 McCaul Street, Rm. 302
Toronto, ON, M5T 1W5
tel: (416) 946-7326; fax: (416) 978-2672 www.utoronto.ca/cius
www.encyclopediaofukraine.com
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++