Folklorama 2010

We had a great time, the kids loved it. My daughter was dancing at the Ukrainian pavilion, it was too cute!

JTF wrote:

grumpyrom wrote:

Goth_chic wrote:Folklorama starts tonight! I am going to check out the Romanina and Ukrainian pavilions this evening.

I would avoid the Romanian this year.....trust me. Unless you like the food at the Garden City Inn. It is not authentic Romanian anything.

There goes my image of all these little gypsy women cooking in some covered wagon out back. Drat!!

FYI, while there are many gypsies living in Romania....Romanians are not gypsies. Just like there are many aboriginals living in Winnipeg, that does not make us all aboriginal. The gypsies (Roma) entered Europe from somewhere in India in the 11th century. They are in no way ethnically the same as Romanians who take their name from the Romans who conquered the Dacians and settled in the newly created Roman province. Coincidentily that is also the reason for Romanian being the only latin language in Eastern Europe. Just a bit of a history lesson for you.

Goth_chic wrote:We had a great time, the kids loved it. My daughter was dancing at the Ukrainian pavilion, it was too cute!

I have to say the Ukranian pavillion is always one of the better ones. Glad you guys had fun.

We are planning on hitting Portugal and Philippine on Tuesday!

grumpyrom wrote:

JTF wrote:

grumpyrom wrote:

Goth_chic wrote:Folklorama starts tonight! I am going to check out the Romanina and Ukrainian pavilions this evening.

I would avoid the Romanian this year.....trust me. Unless you like the food at the Garden City Inn. It is not authentic Romanian anything.

There goes my image of all these little gypsy women cooking in some covered wagon out back. Drat!!

FYI, while there are many gypsies living in Romania....Romanians are not gypsies. Just like there are many aboriginals living in Winnipeg, that does not make us all aboriginal. The gypsies (Roma) entered Europe from somewhere in India in the 11th century. They are in no way ethnically the same as Romanians who take their name from the Romans who conquered the Dacians and settled in the newly created Roman province. Coincidentily that is also the reason for Romanian being the only latin language in Eastern Europe. Just a bit of a history lesson for you.

So why did you conveniently leave out the part about Gypsies stealing babies eh.

That's a little lesson that you forgot.

I'm married to a Gypsy/Rom. Everything you've ever heard about them? Is probably true.

I know. We've been buying our babies from them for years. Very reliable.

*snicker*

I was wondering: have you ever volunteered in folklorama before? Because if you had, then you would know the hardship behind closed doors to every pavilion. Volunteers work extreme long hours to put on a show and make the best food for everyone to try. Every person has different taste buds and you have no right to criticize any until you know what happens behind closed doors. The food at the Romanian pavilion is under strict Romanian supervision and with very detailled instruction on the appearance, taste, texture, etc. Folklorama is not just the food but EVERYTHING else, from the security to the dancers, every aspect is affected with negative comments. Next time, come to the pavilion and try the food yourself before stating that the food is bad if you do not have all the facts. I have been with the Romanian Pavilion for over 10 years and I am not even Romanian!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By the way, also learn your history before commenting that Romanians are gypsies, please do not be ignorant about world history!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The Romanian Pavilion thanks Canad Inns for doing an awesome job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Believe me, considering that I am proudly Romanian by birth it was very difficult to recommend to someone to avoid my birth countries pavillion. However what is being done this year is nothing short of an insult to my culture. No other cultural association would ever even consider this option. IMHO it would be better to skip the event altogether if enough kitchen volunteers could not be found. Also the Romanian Association should look at why they have so many people refusing to get involved. There are a great many Romanians who have taken part in former years who have no interest anymore as their input is not valued by current leadership. I know much more about the community as a whole than you may realise and still hold many of them in high regard on a personal level. That doesn't change my opinion that this years organizing of the pavillion is idiotic at best. And finally FYI I have volunteered multiple times in the past at this pavillion so I do know what I'm talking about. I wish my opinion was different and that I could tell all my friends to go, but I just can't.

Oh and FYI I already gave the sandbox the history lesson a few posts back.

We went to Portugal and Cuba last night. Cuba was awesome, the best entertainment I have seen yet at a pavilion. Portugal was good but Cuba kicked it.

I didn't try the food, but the performance at the Mexico pavillion was nothing short of the best Folkarama performance I have EVER seen.

If I heard correctly, they were brought in from out of country, and it is absofreakinlutely PHENOMENAL!!

GO! GO! GO!

I'll be checking out the Ukrainian pavillion Thursday! It's been an annual tradition since I proposed to my wife on stage there in '03, back when it was on Jefferson! I much prefer the new air conditioned venue!

Too bad that there are not more pavillions in walking distance to downtown. It's all too far our for me.

eViL tRoLl wrote:Too bad that there are not more pavillions in walking distance to downtown. It's all too far our for me.

What, you don't have enough ethnic entertainment downtown?

So, how was (is) Folklorama this year???

I haven't been to Folklarama in 25+ years.

I went this year to 4 pavilions.

It's my first year attending...so wasn't sure really what to expect.

We went to:
Portuguese
Ukrainian
Caribbean
Spanish

All of these were in the first week (didn't attend any the second week).

Reviews:
Portuguese
The food portions were SMALL for the price...tiny little 4" plates for $8.
And the food that should have been good and worth tasting, were all cold and bland. The only hot food they had I could get at KFC.
The show was not bad...though the audio was terrible both for the microphone & music being used. You could not understand most of what was said, and the MC felt it necessary to tell more "in" jokes with people he knew than to speak clearly and introduce the acts so you knew what to expect.
Kudos to the performers though, as it was quite warm...and they were dressed in heavy "traditional" outfits.
VERY poor setup for the food line as well...having it just inside the door from the ticket table meant there was a line blocking the door to get in/out of the hall.
Side note: Portuguese are famous for their construction skills, and especially concrete work...yet the steps of the Pavilion were crumbling and dangerous. You'd think one of the sponsoring construction companies (there were at least 3 on the slideshow playing) would've fixed them as part of their sponsorship.

Spain:
Ironically...quite the same as Portuguese for the show...and sound quality. At one point the microphone broke, so the MC had to yell above the crowd. Fortunately, the crowd understood and quieted so the MC could make his announcement.
Their food, however, was amazing...HUGE portions...and all warm and quite flavourful.
They also had the same line problem for the food, where at one point the line was doubled back around itself.

Caribbean:
We attended Spain before going to Caribbean, and were stuffed...which is probably a good thing, since unless you like spicy food (I do, the rest of my group did not) you couldn't really eat anything at the Caribbean.
I did wait in their miserable food line...which was at least not out the door, but long enough that I missed half the show before I got to squeeze into a seat.
Add to that their setup of "pay for your food, then go get it" made it annoying. The point of the Pavilions (in my opinion) is to display your culture. Maybe I see something in the food line that I want to "try"...but I can't do that if I've already paid for what I'm going to eat...and I'm certainly not getting back in the line.
They also sold out of several items by the time I got to the front of the line...and we were at the 8:30 show...so that was unfortunate for later shows.
The line to get in the Pavilion reached around the building it was held in...I think we stood in line for nearly 45 minutes just to get in...and once in...finding a seat was a nightmare, as if two people were sitting back-to-back at adjoining tables...NOBODY could walk between them...VERY poor layout trying to cram too many people into the facility. I wouldn't be surprised if they were breaking many fire codes.
Speaking of fire...the show itself was not bad, with an MC who tried to get the audience in the "mood", and a fine performance by several acts. The "finale" was a team of limbo dancers, who brought a guest on stage to participate, and lit a limbo stick on fire to barely slide under about 16" off the floor.

Ukrainian:
We attended this after the Portuguese...which is good, because after leaving that one...we were still hungry.
Anyone who knows a Ukrainian woman...knows you don't go away hungry.
And their food line was at least organized correctly...they had 4 (yes FOUR) lines feeding through to get your food, and then two cashiers to ring it up. Their selections were outstanding...and the food was delicious.
The show was not bad. They had a singer come out and do a couple of songs, including one where they brought a dozen kids on stage to participate. (my daughter joined that group...though came back a little upset because she thought she was going to go up and dance).
Then they had a comedian, who is probably legendary in the Ukrainian community...though you could not understand half of what he said...and what you could understand wasn't all that funny. He had an act similar to Henny Youngman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henny_Youngman), though instead of a violin he would sing. He looked older than Youngman would if he were still alive.
After the "comedian", the Zoloto dancers came out to perform. If you haven't seen them...they are quite phenomenal. At first it's just some traditional folk dancing...though it grows to grand finale with performers flying and flipping around the stage...and working the audience into a fervor.

All said, I'd like to see some more Pavilions next year. I've heard great things about Mexico & Brazil, and I'd like to see some Japanese and even some Philippines.

As with any entertainment production though, there's room for improvement...but considering this is an amateur-based and volunteer-run venue...I think it does quite well.

The other Pavilions should take their queue from the Ukrainians when it comes to the food presentation/service. And they should also keep in mind that while it's nice to seat 500 people per show (Caribbean)...it doesn't mean you should...if the only thing people bring away from it was how uncomfortable they were the whole time.

My cousin dances with Zoloto, and yes, they are awesome!

Aren't there two Ukrainian pavillions? If so, you went to the "Spirit of the Ukraine" one. It's the first year they've run it, and I think they did a phenomenal job!

Oh, and the 'comedian' was Nestor Pistor. You are right to use quotation marks around 'comedian'...

Mantha wrote:My cousin dances with Zoloto, and yes, they are awesome!

Aren't there two Ukrainian pavillions? If so, you went to the "Spirit of the Ukraine" one. It's the first year they've run it, and I think they did a phenomenal job!

Oh, and the 'comedian' was Nestor Pistor. You are right to use quotation marks around 'comedian'...

My daughter is joining Zoloto this year (she's 6)...and we look forward to the training she'll get...and experience.

Yes, there are two of many pavilions, though one the first week, then one the second. We didn't attend any the second week.

Yes...Nestor Pistor...and according to the resume they read for his introduction...I expected a bit more. Though the guy looked like he was about 95...so I give him kudos for keeping active and doing the show.

I thought he was 95, 30 years ago when we were listening to his 8 tracks when the parents weren't around.

My 3 year old is joining Zoloto this fall as well!!! See you there - I'll be the dad who never wears anything but Winnipeg Jets clothes! haha!

Mantha wrote:My 3 year old is joining Zoloto this fall as well!!! See you there - I'll be the dad who never wears anything but Winnipeg Jets clothes! haha!

This season? That might be most the dads

I don't think the 3 & 6 dance on the same night...and we can't attend the open house...but perhaps at the recitals .