Chinese Children at Ukraine International Children’s Folk Dance Festival

A 27-member Chinese children’s art troupe of the Xiamen Art School， sent by the CPAFFC， visited the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia from May 7 to 12 to take part in the Fifth International Children Festival of Folk Choreography “Barvinkove Kruzhalo”. At the invitation of the Vinnytsia Municipal Government， this was the second delegation the CPAFFC had sent to the event in three years. They joined children of some 10 art troupes from Ukraine， Russia， Belarus， Poland and Moldova to happily get together to build friendship.

Volodymyr Grossman， Mayor of Vinnytsia， attended the opening and closing ceremonies and met the various art troupes. He warmly welcomed the children to come together in Vinnytsia and sincerely hoped they would make friends through dance， increase communication， boost friendship and help promote progress together.

On the morning of May 7， the Art Festival opened amid cheers. Each troupe presented folk dances with distinctive national features. While watching others perform， those waiting in the wings laughed， whispered and discussed ways to learn something new. They eagerly awaited their turn to show off their skills.

The students of the Barvinkove Art School put on a show on the morning of the second day of the Art Festival. The art troupes from other countries were invited to watch. When the show reached the halfway point， a familiar tune was heard from the stage. It was Heroic Little Sisters on the Prairie played with Ukrainian traditional musical instruments—a gift from the Ukrainian performers to the Chinese delegation. The Chinese children were so excited that they immediately stood up， waving their hands to the rhythm. The music helped break through the language barrier to link the hearts of the Ukrainian and Chinese children.

On that evening， the Chinese delegation visited the Barvinkove Art School. The simple and crude school building formed a sharp contrast to the lively and wonderful performances given by the students of the school that morning. The expenses of the school are mainly funded by the government. But， due to the limited budget， the school authority has to make careful plans and keep a tight hold on spending. The school provides free admission so that more children can learn folk dances of their own country. Though the school’s conditions are not good， beautiful flowers of art are born here for children who love their national culture and folk dance and practice diligently.

The Chinese children’s art troupe was scheduled to perform in the central park of the city on the third day. In order to show the audience the diverse cultures of China， it specially arranged such dances as Peach Blossom， a court dance of the Han Dynasty， Shaoduoli， a dance of the Dai ethnic group， Southern Xinjiang Dance， a dance of Uygur ethnic group and Grandma’s Happy Life， a dance whose choreography draws inspiration from the Tangshan shadow play. These dances of varied forms， content and costumes fascinated the audience. Thousands gathered before the open stage in the park. They had never imagined that Chinese culture was so rich and colorful. More and more people came to the back stage to have pictures taken with the performers. Some people who failed to squash in due to the limited space shouted anxiously “China， China”， which made us feel the Ukrainian people’s warmth and love for China.

Based on the concept of “letting Ukraine know about the world and the world about Ukraine through dance art” advocated by Petro Boyko， Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Art Festival， the delegations of various countries also participated in the commemoration activities for Victory Day in the Anti-Fascist War (May 9th) held in Ukraine every year to promote knowledge of the country’s history and culture. Each delegation laid a wreath at the monument to the heroes of World War II， remembering the history and cherishing peace all the more. The Chinese delegation then joined in the grand parade.

Afterwards， a photographer covered in sweat ran to the hotel where we stayed. He was a very well-known local photographer and liked Chinese culture very much. He had been working outside the city that day， but when his friend told him excitedly over the phone about the Chinese art troupe performance he had watched， the photographer immediately rushed back， hoping to take photos of the Chinese art troupe and use them as material for the photo exhibition he was planning to hold soon. The performers agreed happily and many valuable moments were recorded as the camera clicked.

On the last day of the Art Festival， the 800-seat M. Sadovsky Drama Theater was filled to capacity and became a sea of joy. The performers’ slightest facial expression or dynamic dance drew repeated warm applause and cheers from the audience. The children’s art troupes taking part in the Art Festival performed their dances one after another， hoping not to miss the chance to show off their best. The atmosphere seemed to have changed from a formal show to a get-together of friends from afar. As the curtain fell and lights dimmed， the get-together drew to a close. Friends from different countries would embark on long journeys back to their homes on the morrow. Let us take another look at them…

From the window of their bus， the young Chinese performers saw a crowd of Ukrainian children standing outside and waving with tears in their eyes. Pressing their faces against the windows， the young performers could no longer hide their reluctance to part， some crying loudly and some weeping covering their faces. When the bus started to move， the children outside began to run after it as it drove faster and faster down the street. As the bus pulled up at a traffic light， a little girl ran up to us breathless and shaky to draw a heart with her fingers as a gift to us. At that moment， a smile came on her young face. Oh， she came up all the way just to tell us of her love for China.

Mr. Petro Boyko and his wife came to see us off. When we told him about the little girl， he smiled and told us that many years before there was also a small boy who was deeply impressed by the rich and profound Chinese culture and reluctant to part with his Chinese friends. Now， this boy is learning Chinese dance in China and passing on the friendship of the Ukrainian people to the Chinese people. And that boy is his son.

Perhaps after many years when we look back， we might not remember much of the occasion， but the smile on the little girl’s face will be engraved in our memory. We will cherish this feeling for our next meeting and for our unchanged friendship.