The Sports Palace offers up a four-day event of mind- and body-bending acrobatics in this pre-Olympic tune-up meet, beginning June 3... Speaking of tune-ups, France will warm up for Euro 2004 with a friendly against Ukraine in Paris on June 6... Ukrainian ska/folk/punk rockers Haydamaky take to the stage at the Lavra Gallery on June 9.
n teams are strong, with the Russian team featuring Alina Kabayeva, who is as likely to be appearing on magazine covers as competing. Ukraine could win medals in this pre-Olympic tune-up competition.
Sports Palace (1 Sportyvna, 246-7405/06).
Competitions begin at 10 a.m. Also Saturday, June 5 and Sunday, June 6. Please call for ticket information.
FRIDAY 4
ALTERNATIVE MUSIC:
Polumonokok Festival.
Summer brings open-air shows like it brings mosquitoes. The first outdoor festival to take place will be this one, held at a Kyiv skate park. Performing will be Faktychno Sami, fronted by eccentric singer-songwriter Irena Karpa, as well as the less famous Urna Urana, Boogie Woogie Jam Slam, Reset, M-36, Toster and Nikhto.
Most Skate Park (Druzhby Narodiv Park, near Petrivka metro). 6 p.m. Tickets Hr 15.
SUNDAY 6
SOCCER:
Team Ukraine vs. Team France.
Shevchenko and the boys didn’t manage to earn a ticket to Portugal for the 2004 European soccer championships, set to take place this July, but they’ll still get their shot at Euro 2000 champions France and star players Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane when the two battle at the Stade de France in Paris for an international friendly on June 5. Sheva had a stellar year with Serie A winners A.C. Milan this year (he led the league with 24 goals), but Ukraine doesn’t stand a chance against the French, one of the early favorites at Euro 2004. They’re gonna beat our boys like a rented mule.
Inter, 9:35 p.m.
WEDNESDAY 9
OPERA:
Monserrat Caballier.
This concert by the great Spanish opera prima represents the highest operatic wattage Kyiv has seen since last autumn, when legendary American soprano Jessye Norman sang at the National Opera Theater. She’ll be accompanied by the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, and will play host to two other notable singers: Ukrainian Volodymyr Hrishko and Russian Nikolai Baskov, the blond opera belter you can see on television doubling as a pop singer. This concert, however, should be a vulgarity-free zone; only the ticket prices should keep you from missing it.
Ukraine Palace (103 Chervonoarmiyska, 247-2476). 7 p.m. Tickets from Hr 100 to Hr 1,500.
WEDNESDAY 9
UKRAINIAN SKA:
Haydamaky.
Haydamaky, who combine reggae, ska, and punk with traditional Ukrainian music – they call their style “Carpathian ska,” or just plain old Haydamaky music – bring their energetic, danceable act to the Lavra Gallery, where they’ll no doubt perform music from their new album “The Road to Boguslav,” among other songs.
Lavra Gallery (17 Sichenovho Povstannya).
7 p.m. For tickets please call 201-0101 or (8066) 760-9952.
THURSDAY 10
ROCK MUSIC:
MRK.
One of the leaders of Green Grey, Andry Muravitsky – a.k.a. Murik – is once again promoting his side project, MRK, made up of musicians from different bands, including Ihor Malyarenko of Cool Before. They play so- called “psycho-hooligan” rock-n-roll, incorporating rap and new-metal elements. “We’re playing music that’s meant to gather people together, and feed them with energy modern to them,” Murik has said about his band. Want to know what the hell he meant by that? Go and see for yourselves.
Art Club 44 (44 Kreshchatyk, 229-4137). 10 p.m. Please call for ticket information.
