On a rainy afternoon, the Paradise Symphony Orchestra and dancers from Northern California Ballet performed for six Ukrainians who were visiting this past week to learn about Camp Fire recovery.
At the end of the March 14 performance, the orchestra played the Ukrainian National Anthem. Most people watching in the Paradise Performing Arts Center stood while the song played, and the Ukrainian guests placed their right hands over their hearts. After the song finished, some of them wiped tears from their cheeks.
Trudi Angel, the former artistic director of Northern California Ballet, is hosting three Ukrainians and invited the group to the symphony rehearsal.
“They wanted to know if the arts were still alive and if there were still artistic things going on … they can see even after the fire, we are still working on the arts and we are still working together,” she said.
According to Angel, the Ukrainians work in different professions at home and are delegates of the Open World program that is designed to enhance mutual cooperation between Ukraine and the United States by offering Ukrainian leaders an opportunity to meet with their American counterparts and exchange ideas.
In the past few days, Angel added, they talked to various officials in Paradise, including those who lead the water and fire departments and the schools, to see how the town has managed its recovery from the devastating 2018 fire.
“It’s an emotional and wonderful experience to know what these people have gone through,” Angel said. “It’s not politics, it’s people to people. We all love each other. We are one big group with love.”
Svitlana Blinova, one of the six guests, told ChicoSol that she cried when she recognized the melody of the Ukrainian National Anthem. She thought of her family members who were “under rockets and drones” in Ukraine.
“Between this place and my home place, there are more than 10,000 kilometers, and my husband, at that moment, is a soldier in the army. I have two daughters, 9 and 1 year (old) … Here, I am safe, but at that moment, my husband and my daughters cannot feel the same,” Blinova said.
“I really dream that [the war] will end soon.”
Blinova said the performance was mental rehabilitation for her, and the week in Paradise was the best week she had spent in a long time.
Roman Oleksenko, also a member of the group, said: “It was hard to contain my emotions, my tears. I am still choked up.”
He said he was grateful to see people in Paradise “stand with UKraine,” and grateful that they “took time, cared enough to learn to play our national anthem.”
An event flier states: “We believe that the task of rebuilding our community has taught us that only acting together can we achieve our greatest potential. The coming of Roman Oleksenko, Yurii Kushnir, Tetania Kochkva, Yuliia Golovinova, Svitlana Blinova, and Serhii Kutiev from Ukraine to our community is a reminder that the entire world community of people of good will must stand together or we shall all perish separately.”
Yucheng Tang is a California Local News Fellow reporting for ChicoSol. You can support ChicoSol reporting and our efforts to include a diversity of voices here.
