A free Ober Park concert, coming up at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 25, will feature Juliana & PAVA, an ensemble that performs the centuries-old music of rural Russia.

The concert, sponsored by the Vashon Park District and Vashon Folkdancers, will also include free folk dancing lessons just prior to the concert. No experience or partners are necessary to take part in the community dancing that will go on throughout the concert.

The name of the group, PAVA, is a reference to the Russian word for peacock — a bird that is seen as a symbol in Russia for the beauty of its native women. The singers wear eye-catching, colorful, authentic costumes that were actually worn in Russian villages and sing complex ring harmonies. Some of the songs will be performed a cappella, while others will be accompanied by hurdy-gurdy, balalaika, flutes and percussion instruments. 

PAVA was founded in 2000 by Juliana Svetlitchnaia, a Russian singer and ethnomusicologist, and it frequently performs at Russian and folk-music themed events in the United States and beyond. In September 2010, the ensemble performed in Baghdad at the first postwar international music festival in Iraq, becoming the first group from the United States to perform for Iraqi people since the beginning of the war.