The annual modern arts festival GogolFest will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2017 on a grand scale, with over 120 events on its program.
The festival will be held on Sept. 7-17 in two locations – the VDNH exhibition center and the Dovzhenko Center national film archive.
The program is divided into two parts: the larger “green” section includes the majority of the events, entry to which is included in the overall price of a festival pass, and a special “red” section of events, for which separate tickets have to be bought.
A full festival pass costs Hr 420, a one-day pass Hr 220, and a weekend pass Hr 320.
This year’s GogolFest includes theater productions, music and dance shows, circus performances, movie screenings, and exhibitions. The festival gathers together Ukrainian and foreign modern artists from Europe.
Kyiv Post has picked out some of the most interesting events of GogolFest 2017.
DakhaBrakha grand show
This music show, considered the main event of the festival, promises audiences a spectacle from passionate and energetic Ukrainian musicians. The Ukrainian band DakhaBrakha is of the so-called ethno-chaos genre, combining Ukrainian folk motifs, traditional region singing styles, and modern musical trends. Apart from having numerous fans in Ukraine, DakhaBrakha has been a hit with foreign audiences, touring the United States, Canada and Europe every year. The band’s grand show, “Dreams Off,” will combine a musical performance with video art, a laser show, and elements of theatre.
DakhaBrakha grand show. VDNH (1 Akademika Hlushkova Ave.) Sept. 9. 9 p.m. Included in all days pass – Hr 420, one-day pass for Sept. 9 – Hr 220, and two-day pass for Sept. 9-10 – Hr 320.
‘Stop Being Poor’ (stage performance)
Norwegian live art collective “By Proxy” will perform their most successful work – “Stop Being Poor” – at the festival on Sept. 9 (the “red” event). The performers will use a range of stage techniques, including the use of space, lights, text, motion and sound, to convey the main message of the work. “Stop Being Poor” addresses collective anxiety in the lives of a capitalist city’s citizens, defining it as a problem for society in general that, nevertheless, continues to be ignored. In order to create a bond between the audience and actors, the art collective allows the audience to take part in setting up the stage at the beginning of the performance.
“Stop Being Poor” (stage performance). Dovzhenko Center (1 Vasylkivska St.) Sept. 9. 7 p.m. Ticket price to be announced.
Dakh Daughters grand show
Ukrainian freak-cabaret Dakh Daughters will perform a theatrical show that includes both well-known hits and new songs. Consisting of seven actresses from the Dakh theater, the band is famous for giving energetic shows, and for its extraordinary appearance. Dakh Daughters artists play numerous musical instruments, including the double bass, cello, piano, maracas, guitar, violin, drums, xylophone, accordion and tambourine. The band plays songs with Ukrainian folk themes, as well as songs with lyrics from modern poetry.
Dakh Daughters grand show. VDNH (1 Akademika Hlushkova Ave.) Sept. 10. 9 p.m. Included in all days pass – Hr 420, one-day pass for Sept. 9 – Hr 220, and two-day pass for Sept. 9-10 – Hr 320.
Acoustic piano concert ‘Waiting for the Dawn’
Hayk Melikyan, a famous pianist, composer, and Merited Artist of Armenia, will give a concert at the Dovzhenko Center. At this “red’ event the musician will play his own compositions, as well as music by Luboš Fišer, Maksym Kolomiets, Tristan Murail, Jonathan Harvey, Aleksandra Filonenko, Tatev Amiryan, Harutiun Dellalian and Henryk Górecki.
Piano concert “Waiting for the Dawn.” Dovzhenko Center (1 Vasylkivska St.) Sept. 16. 8 p.m. Ticket price to be announced.
Cabaret. Terabak de Kyiv
This unusual performance (a “red section” event) combines two outstanding groups – the Ukrainian freak-cabaret Dakh Daughters and circus artists from the French theater Monfort. The musical-circus show was first presented last winter in Paris, and has been staged 21 times since then. Next summer the artists of “Cabaret. Terabak de Kyiv” will perform at least 25 times in Paris. Don’t miss the opportunity to see the show live in Kyiv.
Cabaret. Terabak de Kyiv. VDNH (1 Akademika Hlushkova Ave.) Sept. 15. 8 p.m. Sept. 16. 8 p.m. Hr 190-750.
‘Ark’ opera-ballet
The “red” event, staged by prominent Ukrainian theater director and founder of GogolFest Vlad Troitskyi, the opera is a collaboration between the musical and theater group Nova Opera, Totem dance school, and Swiss choreographer Oscar Chacon. “Ark” poses the question of how people can escape from the modern flood of information. Much of this information is useful, but a lot of it is simply junk. The opera explores whether people should deal with the problem by themselves, or build an ark together to escape.
“Ark” opera-ballet. VDNH (1 Akademika Hlushkova Ave.) Sept. 10. 7 p.m. Sept. 17. 7 p.m. Hr 190-750
