Episode 19 | Volya and PFE Present The Spirit of a Nation

Two top-notch Ukrainian dance ensembles in Canada are putting on a joint show this September. Saskatoon’s Pavlychenko Folklorique Ensemble (PFE) and Edmonton’s Volya Ukrainian Dance Ensemble’s Душа Народу (Dusha Narodu) — The Spirit of a Nation. The show highlights the foundation of Kyiv to how Ukrainian culture took root in Canada to what we understand Ukrainian traditions to be today.

We talked with dancers Odessa Bahri from Volya and Natalya Shevchuk from PFE to learn more about the show.

What Else You’ll Hear

  • What dances will be debuted in the show

  • The importance of putting on a production like this

  • How dance groups can form connections to collaborate

  • Why Natalya and Odessa have to stay away from fires when they wear their matching jackets

Resources

Music

  • Thank you to Joryj Kłoc for letting us use “Poltavśkyj Sotnyk” as Vsi’s theme song