The problem of drug addiction and alcoholism has got essential in the recent years. If we don’t stop the distribution and abuse of drugs and alcohol it can lead to the degradation of the nation. Therefore, the fight against these negative phenomena is the number one issue for the formation of a healthy society. Students of Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University also contribute to searching the solution to this problem.
April 24 the grand premiere of “Choreography against drug abuse and alcoholism, a chance for life” held in the assembly hall of the University was a great success. The performances were done by the students of Arts and Pedagogics Department studying "Choreography ". It was a true to life story.
Lyudmila Androshchuk, the Project Manager, Director, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, Head of Department of Choreography and Arts at USPU, Director of "Visavi" Modern Dance amateur folk ensemble, said, "We were choosing the theme of the project with the students, we wanted it to be socially important. Choosing from the several subjects (eg, the Chernobyl disaster, the Great Patriotic War), we selected the problem of drug addiction and alcoholism and made a performance on the basis of the stories of real people. Few people will agree to openly speak about their life. But we have found such people in the rehab center of Ositna village. Those are the ones who were released from prison and try to start their lives from a scratch, without drugs and alcohol." Lyudmila Kokoyeva, the Director of "Way of Life" rehabilitation center says that at the moment the facility has 26 people who came out of prison and who have abused drugs and alcohol in the past. Now they receive help from psychologists, doctors, and other people who inspire them to choose the right way in life.
The shocking and frank confessions of protagonists of the project (who were present in the assembly hall) could not leave the audience indifferent. At the same time, those stories were embodied in the lives of students on stage with the help of the choreographic talent. The performances have taken the breath away from the audience. The artists could show five stories from the lives of the rehabilitation center patients in their body language. The first heroine found herself in the street due to an insult of her mother. The unhappy first love and attempt to lose weight by using drugs made her a drug addict for 16 years, incarcerated several times ... The second character of the story lost her baby and could not cope with her grief. She began drinking alcohol and it triggered a series of negative events in her young life. The third character dreamed of a family hearth and children; but instead of an engagement ring from her husband she received drug addiction. She can hardly talk or move after the two strokes triggered by a strong drug. Another woman, the mother of three children became alcohol dependent because of the violence of her husband. The story of the fifth woman is unique. She met her true love, got married. The young couple had a good job, a cozy family home, two children ... But her beloved husband passed away after the 35 years of happy married life and the youngest son became a drug addict, lost the apartment in the card game. But this was not even the worst. Physical and mental abuse made the elderly sick woman leave her home.
The people who have fallen into the abyss of a strong chemical and alcohol dependence are overcome by fear, pain and frustration. To get trapped in this destructive power can mean the end of life for many people. But the main characters of the project have survived. They found the strength and possibility to overcome the thirst for the "illusory pleasure" and returned to life!
The project reveals the true reality of alcoholism and drug addiction showing the terrible and devastating impact they have on human life. The idea of ??the project has a noble mission - to try to protect our society from making errors that can lead to irreversible consequences.
At the end of the premiere, Natalia Pobirchenko, the Chancellor of Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor expressed her gratitude to the initiators, organizers and participants of the performance. "It was something special – the best of the best! In fact, USPU proves once again that we have really talented teachers and students. The play makes us think, and this is most important. I think everyone should see it! The stories of the real people helped to achieve this result. And it is an achievement of all who managed to get through to their souls, who made the video series and choreographic performances. So we wish everyone health and happiness!"
“All people with similar problems have a right to live”, said Olena Dudnyk, the Dean of Arts and Pedagogics Department, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor. “Our creative and social activity is initiated to prevent the grief”, she said.
On behalf of the project manager we express our gratitude for the support and assistance in the project realization to Natalia Pobirchenko, the University Chancellor, Olena Dudnyk, the Dean of Arts and Pedagogics Department, Oleksandr Osadchiy, the Head of the Trade Union, Liubov Lytvyniyk, the manager of the new building of the University.
By the way, in order to create comfortable conditions for training of students, to improve the material and technical facilities of the Arts and Pedagogics Department the student hostel number 2 was holding a long-awaited and important event - the opening of a dance class. A great repair and maintenance job was done – the old windows were replaced with plastic ones, the walls were plastered and painted, the mirrors were partially replaced, the ceiling was redone with a set of new lamps installed, the number training tools was increased and most importantly, the wood floor was completely replaced with the professional dance floor. So before starting of the play the students were delighted to start the new dancing class!
In the future, the project participants intend to show the performance in Uman penitentiary in the village of Stari Babany for as many people as possible, to create a documentary with all the interviews of the heroes of the project and the performance itself.
So let us take care of our health and life, and learn to overcome the difficulties just like the heroes of the project did.
Please clickhereto see the pictures.
