As Ukrainian dancers, we know there’s a lot more to Ukrainian culture than red boots and a big stage smile. Through Vsi, we (Hannah Picklyk and Kaitlin Vitt) explore and share Ukrainian traditions, dance, folklore, music, ethnography, and historical and modern-day culture. Vsi means “all, all of, everyone, everybody” in Ukrainian. And that’s what we’re here to talk about — anything and everything related to Ukrainian dance and culture.
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It’s the ultimate Ukrainian dance question: how can we keep Ukrainian dancing with healthy knees and happy hips for as long as we can? In this episode, we sit down with Saskatoon’s Dr. Kristen Dudeck — chiropractor, massage therapist, and lifelong Ukrainian dancer — to explore what it really means to build stronger, healthier dancers. She gives tips for all ages that you can put into practice…
It’s spring, which means it’s Ukrainian dance festival season! In this episode, we chat with Vanessa Wiebe, Festival Coordinator for the Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Festival, which is celebrating its 39th event this year in its home of Edmonton. We talk about how the festival has evolved since its start, the importance of dance festivals to young dancers, instructors/choreographers, and the…
Brian Cherwick is an absolute legend — the musician, one of the talented members of The Kubasonics, is an encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to Ukrainian music and traditions. In this episode, he shares how he got to where he is today, what it was like learning from musical masters in Ukraine, the inspiration behind what he does, and interesting tidbits about traditional Ukrainian…
You’re in for a real treat with two out of three Picklyk siblings on this episode of Vsi! Darian Picklyk shares his story on how he made his way from the Ukrainian dance studio to the world stage of volleyball — the former University of Winnipeg player now plays for the Canadian national men’s volleyball team. He offer lots of tips for dancers on how to balance multiple activities while showing up…
Gerdan Theatre, a group from Chernivtsi, Ukraine, toured Canada in February and March of 2024. They performed at more than 18 shows (!!!) during their time in Canada, and we had the chance to chat with two of their members, Yulia and Anton, when they were in Winnipeg to get a behind-the-scenes look at the theatre group. What Else You’ll Hear - The meaning behind Gerdan Theatre’s name - The…
Zrada isn’t your typical Ukrainian band. While they merge modern music with Ukrainian folk music, the sound is all their own. The Winnipeg-based band describes their music the best: “Ancestral sounds explode within an amplified soundscape full of joy, anger, melancholy, and madness.” We talked with Andriy Michalchyshyn from Zrada. He plays trumpet and guitar and sings vocals for the band, plus…
The National Ballet of Ukraine brought their show Nadiya (Hope) to Canada to kick off 2024. In addition to supporting the arts scene in Ukraine and the esteemed dancers, the tour is raising money for aid in Ukraine, thanks to a partnership between Humanite Peace Collective and the Olena Zelenska Foundation. In this episode, we talk with David Meffe, head of development of Humanite, about what this…
Vsi co-host Hannah got married in September and learned a lot about various Ukrainian wedding traditions, incorporating many of them into her wedding day, and she wants to share them with you! Here’s your guide to the Ukrainian culture-inspired wedding of your dreams. What Else You’ll Hear - Ukrainian wedding customs and how Hannah personalized them to her celebration - How to make outdated…
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…
russia’s full-scale invasion has been going on for one year. We love Ukraine, we are proud of her and her people, and it hurts our hearts to see russia’s actions. We asked a few Ukrainians and those in the Ukrainian diaspora to write love letters to Ukraine to show our support and spread our collective love for Ukraine. What Else You’ll Hear - Why writing a love letter together helped us process…
