BURCH FELLOW 2017 JOINED BY TRADITION: Ryan BELARUSIAN FOLKLORE AND SONG IN AND BELARUS

Rowe When I first arrived in , performing. Although I do not speak Russian because the local dialect I immediately hopped on a train Estonian, it was enjoyable to see a reflected Western Slavic languages to Kem’, a port-town on the White positive expression of nationalism as well as Northern dialects of Sea that served as a deportation and regionalism. The festival was Russian. Yet around the halfway center for political prisoners headed also filled with heads of state, and point in the first expedition, I was the first female Estonian able to understand the majority of president lit the ceremonial what people were saying in the local torch. dialect, which was useful as I was Afterwards I traveled responsible for conducting interviews back to Russia where on my own with the men in the I began working as an village once we were in Belarus. assistant on two folklore I found the stories and songs I expeditions with Dr. Yelena documented incredibly interesting, Minyonok from the Russian and I learned a tremendous Academy of Sciences. The amount about history, language, two villages we studied and customs that cannot be separated over a century described in a book. I plan on using Class of 2018 ago under the Stolypin what I learned from my Burch Durham, NC to Stalin’s gulag on the Solovetsky Agrarian Reformations of Islands. Kem’ has also established 1907-1917, when fourteen s a classical singer, I a center for Pomor culture within families from Lyadovichi am strongly encouraged the last decade, where people can and Opal’, Belarus moved to develop fluency in learn the Pomorian dialect and other to ’. The Aat least one other language as a significant aspects of Pomorian mother village experienced way to create a more authentic culture. several waves of emigration performance. Most people tend I also traveled to Estonia. My between the transition to focus on Italian, French, and stay overlapped with the Estonian to Soviet period, WWII, German, but given my background Youth Festival of Song and and modern day, and in Slavic languages I decided to Dance, which is part of UNSECO’s the villages have fallen further my cultural understanding “Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible out of correspondence. and language abilities through Heritage of Humanity.” The festival Throughout the expeditions, my Burch Fellowship. During my we interviewed family Fellowship to pursue a career in fellowship I spent three months members asking about opera performance and teaching. in Russia, Estonia, and Belarus traditions, songs, Despite the fact I am not pursuing studying the effects of migration embroidery, and other folklore, the traditions I learned and occupation on song traditions of cultural materials to see about are paramount to the classical ethnic minorities within the former what cultural aspects tradition in these countries. Several . remain and what has composers draw on folk motifs changed. Our average (songs, stories, etc.), and singers CONTINUED day consisted of are expected to know several folk interviewing two to three song arrangements. After I earn people, mostly elderly my master’s degree, I plan to use women, and spending my language skills by relocating to dates back to 1869, but when the evenings translating magic Eastern or Central Europe to join a Estonia was under Soviet control, spells, song texts, or being guests young artist program and pursue the festival was forced to include with ensembles, other families in other opportunities to study Slavic songs of foreign origin beginning in the village, or repertoire. 1947. As the Soviet regime began to even the mayor. Eventually, fail, the Singing Revolution (1987- When I first I would like 1991) led to a series of events and started working to pursue a demonstrations that eventually on interviews doctorate, Estonia Russia brought independence to the Baltic with , I develop resources States. Being at the festival was found myself for singing in quite an indescribable experience. constantly asking Slavic languages, In the singing grounds there were for repetitions and work with Belarus over 140,000 people (approximately of certain parts young singers on 15% of the entire Estonian of stories or performing this population) with the vast majority translations from rich repertoire. of schoolchildren in the country local dialects into