The music and dancing was nearly non-stop in the Estevan Leisuure Centre’s multipurpose room while dozens of people at a time milled around display and food tables set up in the centre’s main foyer and an entrance to Affinity Place on Saturday afternoon.
“Everything worked out all right,” said event co-ordinator Oksana Miller of the Southeast Newcomer Services, which was the lead agency for the multicultural event.
“We had enough volunteers and Affinity Place staff were wonderful. They even built the temporary stage for the performers. I didn’t have to worry about it,” she said with a chuckle. “They took care of the performers; everybody did a great job.”
Cultural groups from Regina and Swift Current mingled with local artists and performers along with the general public for a full afternoon.
“The East Indian area was busy with the henna tattoos and the Chinese table too,” said Miller. The craft room, just down the hall, was also kept busy with crafts for kids and adults alike courtesy of the Estevan Pottery Club, Estevan Art Gallery and Museum and Souris Valley Museum who were making good use of the Estevan Arts Council’s craft centre.
Miller said this was the third annual Collage event staged by the Southeast Newcomer Services, and, based on the response, they’ll be attempting to bring it back again next fall.
“How big it will be will depend on our budget, of course,” she said.
This year’s festival was made possible through financial support from five agencies, starting with Sask. Culture who provided a $12,000 grant, while the Multi-Cultural Council came through with a $2,500 grant. A further $2,000 came from Affinity Credit Union and their local District 12 fund and the City of Estevan and SaskTel chipped in with $500 and $350 respectively.
“I was nervous at first. It was the first time I have taken on the job as an organizer, but it seemed everyone knew what they had to do. I kept checking on things and it all seemed to be moving around all right,” she said.
Although there has been discussions about an admission charge to the festival, Miller said the group would prefer to continue offering it as a free event since it seems to be an attractive feature and encourages a smooth and easy flow of people in and out of the venues.
The afternoon of performances began with a multicultural display of ethnic dances brought to the stage by the Drewitz School of Dance that included Ukrainian, Hungarian and Irish, to name a few. They were followed by the Ukrainian Chaban dance ensemble from Regina who brought their junior and intermediate dancers to Estevan for a lively half-hour of traditional dances from various Ukrainian regions.
Aboriginal artist, singer and storyteller Carol Daniels hurried into Estevan from Regina too, even though her family was in the middle of moving into a new home. She said she was determined to make it to Estevan where she has appeared before in front of appreciative audiences.
Arcola East Bhangra Dancers were also a part of the program. The Chinese instrument and dance troupe from the Confucius Institute through the University of Regina were a treat with their colourful costuming and musical and dance talents.
The Magic of Karpat, featuring Ukrainian vocals by Bogdon Dubouvy and Nadia Babchouk on violin, took the audience from lively folk songs and dance to love ballads and back again. They were followed by an African drumming trio from UCAS Karibu and Boom Town Down from Regina who also offered some eager audience participation on the drums. The Kilted Winds, Estevan’s own Scottish pipe and drum band, and the alternative rock band, Loud Neighbours, brought the entertainment segments of the afternoon to the close.
While the action in the activity room was musical, the arts room was visited by several children and a few adults who got busy making paper dolls, buttons or clay pottery items.
The 10-table outlay in the foyer included food and even free books from the Estevan Area Literacy Group, along with Russian Matryoshke dolls, Rangoli and African art, Chinese name translations and displays plus Philippine cuisine and European baked goods.
“If we can get the funding, we will make this grow,” said Miller, noting that her job will now involve completing reports for the granting agencies and assisting with the applications for next year, since some of the deadlines for such things are coming soon.
