Expedition diary: July 17, 2021

The seventh day of the expedition was the musical culmination of our entire journey. Preparations for the evening online event started in the morning in “Zyalyony Dub” farmstead in Padarosk and in the synagogue in Orla.

*The flip-flopper veranda is preparing to become a dance floor and is waiting for guests.*

The Belarusian team split again. Someone went with Andrei Barowsky in search of the musical heritage of these places, someone was processing the collected materials. Some people went to the Padarosk estate and the surrounding area to get to know the objects of the future tourist cluster, which is being created by our partners. Look for the video version of the stream with Yuras Melyashkevich from the walk around the Bokhvits manor in the Events and Meetings section. In general, the sections of the media manual will be supplemented with new materials from the locations of our route.

*Mr. Director shows the old building in which the hotel will be located.*

*And here is an almost completed restaurant.*

Працоўная група Штэтлфэст на танцпляцоўцы сядзібы Бохвіцаў. Маёнтак Падароск, аграгарадок Падароск — *The next (art?) object is a dance floor, the legacy from Soviet times.*

*We discuss how this “architectural object” can be used.*

*“Material heritage” with markers of cultural layers in close up.*

*Gate of the estate. In the photo notes you can see the completely restored one.*

The day was drawing to a close, and we finally connected with our Polish friends for the last cross-border event. We called this meeting “Shtetlfest-potańcówka. Following old melodies of the border“. On our side, we invited the expert and klezmer musician Alexei Rozov and the Zhydovachka kapelye, the Polish side organized a lecture by Ewa Grochowska and a dancing part with the participation of the Batareja band.

Павел Ганчар. Праводзім танцавальна-музычны джэм з нашымі польскімі сябрамі. Аграсядзіба «Зялёны дуб», аграгарадок Падароск — *The bearded Santa Claus is not Santa Claus, but the klezmer violinist Alexei Rozov.*

In his mini-lecture, Alexei Rozov described and showed examples of how a musician must work with the material so that a Jewish dance melody was truly Jewish.

Ewa Grochowska built her story on the information about the origins of shtetl music. We learned how the town and the village sounded, what instruments the musicians played.

Лекцыя Ewa Grochowska ў сінагоге. Трансгранічны Зум: «Па слядах старых мелодый памежжа», горад Орля — *Ewa Grochowska during the lecture.*

When the dance part began, for a moment it seemed that our entire working group came together. But it was an illusion. And yet, despite all the difficulties and circumstances, we managed to synchronize fruitful, exciting and very difficult expeditionary work on both sides of the border for these eight days. That’s why we danced and played with all our hearts.

Below you can browse the atmospheric photos from the synagogue in Orla, and in the Izabielin collection of materials, the photo-report from our dance veranda in Padarosk.

Удзельнікі польскай часткі каманды Штэтлфэст і госці танчаць і спяваюць падчас і пасля Зума, горад Орля

Video fragments from the event in Orla can be seen here.