American Culture In Ukraine
 
Love it or hate it, you simply can’t remain indifferent to it, because the culture of the American nation has permeated throughout the world, including Ukraine! 4th of July celebrations are coming up and rather than give you a scholarly account of this truly influential nation, we thought it would be fun to examine the little Americanisms that have encrusted themselves in our long-standing Slavonic culture.

Movie in Original Language
La Belle Personne (The Beautiful Person)
 
Directed by Christophe Honore
Drama, Fiction, France 2008
Starring Louis Garrel, Lea Seydoux, Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet
Upon her mother’s death, Junie is obliged to change high schools. The sixteen-year-old joins a new class where Mathias her cousin, is also a student. He becomes her ambassador, introducing her to his gang of friends. The males in the gang vie for her company and soon she becomes the girlfriend of the calmest among them.

Timati
The fattest Hip-Hoppin, Gangsta-lovin, fast-talkin bad boy to come out of the former Soviet UNI0N
‘Dirty bitches will be punished’. Yes girls, this guy is for real: Just a little taste of some of the lovely and very respectful words that this fairly popular Russian dude likes to spout. There was also a time, not so long ago, when there wasn’t a single party around that didn’t feature his song ‘Where’re the best parties? In our club’ and the fact that he’s on his way back to Kyiv will obviously have the ladies in an uproar.

Che, Che Che… Cha, Cha, Cha…
Orchestra Che, Art Club 44 (44 Khreshchatyk), 3 July at 22.00
Theatre and music in one is the distinguishing feature of this Ukrainian band from Kharkiv. They’re coming to Kyiv to give us their stuff, about which critics say is full of surrealism and futurism. Oooohhh… The band of five has already released 3 albums, from which you’ll undoubtedly hear a few songs and they promise to have a few more tricks up their sleeve as well.

The Master Dream

The Spectrum of Sound
Ode to Love – A Concert of Soloists, Kyiv State Musical Theatre for Children and Youth (Mezhyhirs’ka 2), 7 July at 19.00

Bud’mo!
Taras Bulba (Opera in 3 Acts), National Opera House (Vladymyrska 50), 5 July at 19.00 

2 in 1: Good Music, Stunning Looks!
DJ Eva, Baby Face DJ Bar (44 Shorsa), 3 July at 21.00

Timati in da House!
Timati in Concert, Decadence House (16 Shota Rustavelli), 4 July
 

Boombox Opens up the Beach Season!
Boombox in Concert, UA Beach Club (10 minutes from Metro Hydropark), 10 July at 20.00
The band Boombox is getting bigger and bigger in Ukraine thanks to its clever lyrics, acoustic guitar stylings, DJ-scratching and the strong vocals of Andrey Hlyvnyuk. Their music is a combination of a lot of stuff like reggae, jazz, hip-hop, rock ‘n’ roll and soul. But regardless of what they put into their music, the result is always the same: high-energy tunes guaranteed to get your feet moving, your heart pumping and the crowd hopping.

Class US Photos
Forms,Exhibition of Photographs by Stephan M. Ryan, Gallery Mystetskiy Arsenal (30 I. Mazepy), 17 July ‘til 31 July                     

R’n’B Knock Out!
Hip-Hop Battle, Patipa (10 Museyny), 19 July at 23.00

No Joking Matter
Rigoletto(Opera in 3 Acts) Kyiv Theatre of Opera & Ballet for Children (Mezhigorskaya 2), 15 July at 19.00

This Village Rocks
Svirz World Music Festival, Svirzh Village (40km from Lviv), 31 July – 2 August

A Taste of What’s to Come
Singleton in Concert, Art Club 44 (44 Khreshchatyk), 21 July at 21.00

Its All Specials this Summer
Terracotta(5-7/29 Pushkinska), 537-4535
Beginning 1 July, Chef Ivala Kovrige will present her special summer menu and when you come in for a taste of what is bound to be fabulous, you’re sure to like what you see. Start with their Okroshka, everybody’s favorite for the summer and then try the exotic Aleksandriya Salad: served with delightful lettuce leaves, Tavricheskiy sauce and crusted halibut fish, topped with shark, lobster and alligator meat. If that hasn’t curbed your hunger, they’ve also got Kobe beef and this dish is sure to please, especially with the name they’ve given it: the Phoenician Steak. Or perhaps the Chianti Steak is more up your alley; served with fresh garden vegetables, it’s also a nice pick for summer. If you’re still in the mood for seafood after your salad starter, there is also an appetising seafood mix of shark, lobster, tuna and alligator made with real seaweed and the chef’s special sauce.

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Pornography Banned!
Article 301 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine clearly states that the import of pornography, which includes the distribution, production or transportation of any pornographic material, is a criminal offence. Anyone in violation of these statutes will be considered a criminal offender for which any number of punishments could be issued ranging from the minimum of a simple monetary fine up to a maximum of three years imprisonment.

Every week we publish an unusual view of a well-known Kyiv landmark or architectural element. If you think you know what it is, write in to editor@whatson-kiev.com with you answer. There’s no prize for this one, but it is fun to take part, and if you get it right you will get a mention in next week’s issue. Last week’s WAS IST DAS!?! was the Monument to Ivan Mazepa on the street that bears his name. Congratulations to Viktoriya Prokhorchuk and Andrey Nedzelnitsky who got it right!

Look Who’s Famous…! And Ukrainian!
Whether born somewhere between our borders or elsewhere, Ukrainians are everywhere! Some are more prominent, some are less well known, but in almost every case, they are proud of their heritage. While there’s a few in here we’re sure you know about, there may also be a few that will surprise you…

The Man Nobody Misses in a Crowd
A man you’d never never miss in a crowd because of his height and impeccable dress sense, Austrian construction guru Wolfgang (Wolfi) Gomernik has been around in Kyiv for a few years now, so we at What’s On thought it time we should let him tell a little about his life and work in the city.

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