Gerdan Theatre from Chernivtsi, Ukraine, toured Canada in February and March of 2024. We sat down with two of their performers to hear about what this tour means to them.
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Andriy Michalchyshyn from Zrada joined us to talk about the Winnipeg-based band’s latest release, The Old Ways. He shared with us the inspiration behind the music and what motivates the band to continue celebrating Ukrainian culture.
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The National Ballet of Ukraine is touring their show Nadiya (Hope) through Canada. Starting in Quebec City on January 15 and ending in Calgary on February 11, the tour is raising money for aid in Ukraine, thanks to a partnership between Humanite Peace Collective and the Olena Zelenska Foundation.
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On September 9 and 16, Saskatoon’s Pavlychenko Folklorique Ensemble (PFE) and Edmonton’s Volya Ukrainian Dance Ensemble are putting on a joint production, Душа Народу (Dusha Narodu) — The Spirit of a Nation.
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Kaitlin updated and reprinted her book Planted: Stories From Manitoba’s Natural World, with proceeds supporting humanitarian aid in Ukraine. Learn the inspiration behind the book and how a main influence is Kaitlin’s Ukrainian heritage.
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Canada’s Ukrainian Shumka dancers are touring across Canada with a two-act show, which includes the lively Mosquito’s Wedding. Find out from dancer Caitlin Kaminsky and Senior Creative Director Les Sereda what it’s like dancing through the pandemic, the creation of this production, and what it means to be touring while Ukraine is defending itself against russia’s full-scale war.
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In this inspiring conversation, Lana Nicole Niland, a Canadian living in Ukraine, shares about her experience dancing with Virsky and her many Ukrainian-culture-themed projects. Prepare to be inspired to nurture and follow your dreams!
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For many dancers and instructors, the studio is our place to take a break from the world, to leave our stresses behind for a few hours. But heading to the studio isn’t an option for all of us right now. Thankfully, tools like meditation can help.
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In Lviv and Chernivtsi, we had the opportunity to dance with a few different groups, including Yunist, the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, the Lviv College of Culture and Arts, and the Honoured Bukovyna State Ensemble of Song and Dance. While sharing our experiences dancing in these next two cities we wanted to figure out a way to tie it all together so we decided to share our “lessons learned” from each place.
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In this interview, hear from Natalya, a Virsky Company dancer, about what life is like in the studio, how she balances life with work, and what pushes her to keep dancing even on those days when she feels tired and unmotivated.
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Wearing a heeled shoe in Ukrainian dance has always sort of been a right of passage — it’s a step up from slippers in your younger years and the gateway to what comes next: the red boot.
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We (that’s us, Hannah and Kaitlin) have really only been friends for a couple years, our friendship growing just like our Ukrainian bead collection — it grew fast, and it grew big. Our About page has a brief introduction to who we are, but we wanted to share a bit more about where we come from and where we’re going.
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In Ukrainian, Vsi means “all, all of, everyone, everybody.” On this blog and on our podcast, you’ll hear stories from choreographers, dancers, and instructors — from Ukraine and Canada — plus we’ll discuss popular topics such as ethnography, music, and the art of dance.
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