Tamburitzans take over W&J College
Josh Pribanic, right, with his dancer partner, Sydney Kaczowski, rehearse Tuesday along with other members of Duquesne University Tamburitzans for their Aug. 6 show on the campus of Washington & Jefferson College.
Violinists Dane Fliapczak, right, and Djordje Ivkovic, members of Duquesne University Tamburitzans, practice Tuesday for their Aug. 6 show on the campus of Washington & Jefferson College.
The Olin Fine Arts Center at Washington & Jefferson College will be full of bright colors, folk music and dance over the next few weeks.
For the ninth consecutive year, the Duquesne University Tamburitzans have made W&J their home as they prepare for their 79th performance season, which will kick off with a free show Aug. 6 at the center.
Robert Vukic, the group’s executive director, said the group arrived July 14 and has 25 days to put together a two-hour show. The performers – there are 31 and all but one is a Duquesne University student – spend 13 hours a day practicing. Performers are awarded scholarships and are required to balance their full-time studies with weekly performances around the country.
Vukic said the group, which will sever ties with Duquesne July 1, 2016, is trying to reinvent itself as a contemporary dance company. The group has traditionally performed Eastern European music and dance, but is branching out to include other cultures.
“Now, there are no boundaries,” Vukic said. “We are expanding beyond tradition.”
Emily Knihnicky, a senior at Duquesne who has been with the group for six years, said she looks forward to the changes.
“It will be a different approach to the show,” the 23-year-old said. “We’ve constantly done very traditional things. It will be a shock for people who have seen us perform in the past.”
Performers are required to audition each year. There are no cultural restrictions or requirements to audition, Vukic said. Knihnicky said the group allows her to be close with her Ukrainian roots and carry on a family tradition.
“My mother and sister were Tamburitzans,” she said.
Vukic said W&J serves as a great facility for the group as it “allows everyone to be in one place at the same time.” He said the group began using the college after hearing a radio advertisement about its facilities.
The group got its start in the 1930s and is dedicated to preserving and perpetuating the cultural heritages of Eastern Europe and its neighbors, according to its website.
Doors to the Olin Fine Arts Center open Aug. 6 at 6:30 p.m. The show is free and tickets are not required.