AUBURN - After witnessing his uncle get shot to death by a soldier during the Bosnian war at the age of 6, Haris Bajric turned to music as an outlet at the encouragement of his mother, Emina.
Emina taught Haris traditional Bosnian folk music when he was a child, and Haris, 17, has continued to play the traditional folk songs and newer music on the keyboard and drums even after moving to the United States. His family now lives in Utica, and he and his two siblings, Adis and Mirela, perform traditional Bosnian folk songs across central New York.
On Sunday, Haris, Adis and Mirela performed during the Emerging Traditions Folk Arts Program hosted by the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center.
Along with their performance, were dance performances by the Odesa Ukrainian Dancers Ensemble of Syracuse and the Kud Bosanska Mladest Bosnian Dancers of Utica and a musical performance by Albanian-Kosovar folk musician Mehdi Uka, who plays the qifteli, a two-stringed, mandolin-like instrument.
Folklorist Felicia Faye McMahon has been working with the art center to host the Emerging Traditions program for the past three years. But this year was the first to bring together newer and long-standing communities in the area.
The Ukrainian community, McMahon said, has had a presence in central New York since the 19th century. Approximately 3 percent of residents in Cayuga County are Ukrainian - the highest percentage of all of New York's counties. The Bosnian and Albanian communities, however, are newer to the area.
"We have never seen or heard groups like this here," McMahon said, of the Bosnian dance troupe.
In 2002, the folk arts program began to focus on the newer and emerging communities in central New York, but McMahon thought it would be better this year to combine their performances with those of some of the long-standing communities.
"We had been focusing on one group at a time, but it seemed to exoticize their traditions," she said.
Last month, the center combined performances by the Didinga and Dinka people from Sudan and the Karen people of Burma, all newer groups to the area, with performances from the Onondaga and Oneida clans.
"We have a broad spectrum of folk arts programs now," McMahon said. "People are always arriving."
Slawka Bobesky, the dance instructor for the Odesa dance troupe, said more than 60 children attend the dance school. The intention, Bobesky said, is to continue to pass along the traditional Ukranian folk arts culture to those children living in the United States.
"(We) bring the Ukranian culture and introduce people to it," Bobesky said. "Plus, we carry it on for ourselves."
Students from the school perform all around central New York, and will perform again this year at the New York State Fair.
Mehdi Uka returned to the folk arts festival this year, playing traditional Albanian folk songs on the qifteli.
"These (songs) are seldom, if ever, played in the United States," McMahon said of Uka's music.
Staff writer Anne Gleason can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or at anne.gleason@lee.net
On Sunday, Haris, Adis and Mirela performed during the Emerging Traditions Folk Arts Program hosted by the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center.
Along with their performance, were dance performances by the Odesa Ukrainian Dancers Ensemble of Syracuse and the Kud Bosanska Mladest Bosnian Dancers of Utica and a musical performance by Albanian-Kosovar folk musician Mehdi Uka, who plays the qifteli, a two-stringed, mandolin-like instrument.
Folklorist Felicia Faye McMahon has been working with the art center to host the Emerging Traditions program for the past three years. But this year was the first to bring together newer and long-standing communities in the area.
The Ukrainian community, McMahon said, has had a presence in central New York since the 19th century. Approximately 3 percent of residents in Cayuga County are Ukrainian - the highest percentage of all of New York's counties. The Bosnian and Albanian communities, however, are newer to the area.
"We have never seen or heard groups like this here," McMahon said, of the Bosnian dance troupe.
In 2002, the folk arts program began to focus on the newer and emerging communities in central New York, but McMahon thought it would be better this year to combine their performances with those of some of the long-standing communities.
"We had been focusing on one group at a time, but it seemed to exoticize their traditions," she said.
Last month, the center combined performances by the Didinga and Dinka people from Sudan and the Karen people of Burma, all newer groups to the area, with performances from the Onondaga and Oneida clans.
"We have a broad spectrum of folk arts programs now," McMahon said. "People are always arriving."
Slawka Bobesky, the dance instructor for the Odesa dance troupe, said more than 60 children attend the dance school. The intention, Bobesky said, is to continue to pass along the traditional Ukranian folk arts culture to those children living in the United States.
"(We) bring the Ukranian culture and introduce people to it," Bobesky said. "Plus, we carry it on for ourselves."
Students from the school perform all around central New York, and will perform again this year at the New York State Fair.
Mehdi Uka returned to the folk arts festival this year, playing traditional Albanian folk songs on the qifteli.
"These (songs) are seldom, if ever, played in the United States," McMahon said of Uka's music.
Staff writer Anne Gleason can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or at anne.gleason@lee.net
The Citizens' Say
There are No comments posted.