Vsi: The Podcast

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 today.

What Else You’ll Hear

- Dr. Kristen’s career journey that’s taken her across the continent and her dance journey that’s taken her across the world

- The biggest blocks dancers are facing before getting to the next level

- How Dr. Kristen came up with the coaching program of our dreams: The Dance Apothecary

Resources

- Follow Dr. Kristen on Instagram

- Stay up to date or book a session with The Dance Apothecary (Instagram, website)

Music

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

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 Ukrainian community in general, and the impact of celebrating Ukrainian culture through dance.

What Else You’ll Hear

- Vanessa’s, Hannah’s, and Kaitlin’s favourite festival moments

- The landscape of Ukrainian dance in Canada

- How dance festivals can continue to shift and evolve

- What it takes to run a successful Ukrainian dance festival

Resources

- Follow the Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Festival on Facebook and Instagram.

Music

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

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 instruments.

What Else You’ll Hear

- Stories from his time living in Ukraine

- How he keeps learning, even after all these years

- Drymba tips and tricks

- A very special mini performance

Resources

- Follow The Kubasonis on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Music

- Thank you to Brian for playing us a couple tunes!

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 as your best self.

What Else You’ll Hear

- Why athletes make amazing dancers, and vice versa

- The benefits of playing multiple sports

- Darian’s top wellness tips

- How to think like an athlete

- Some nicknames to call Darian if you’re lucky enough to meet (or know) him

Resources

- Follow Darian’s life on Instagram

- Stay up to date with Darian’s volleyball journey through Volleyball Canada (Facebook, Instagram)

- See when Darian hits the stage next with Selo Ukrainian Dancers (Facebook, Instagram)

Music

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

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 structure of Gerdan and its school

- Where Gerdan learned the songs and traditions it performs and shares

- What it means to Yulia and Anton to be a part of this tour and to perform with Gerdan

Resources

- Follow Gerdan Theatre on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Music

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

- You’ll also hear a snippet from Gerdan Theatre’s show in Winnipeg!

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 writes a lot of their music. He joined us to talk about Zrada’s latest release, The Old Ways.

What Else You’ll Hear

- Zrada’s origin story, what inspired the band’s all-their-own sound, and how the band has evolved

- The inspiration behind songs and how the band writes in the style of traditional folk songs yet puts it to modern music

- How you can make Ukrainian folklore your own

- What keeps the band motivated to celebrate Ukrainian culture

- A sneak peek at one of their newest songs

Resources

- Listen to The Old Ways: Spotify, Bandcamp

- Stay up to date with Zrada: Instagram, Facebook, Website

- Buy tickets to Festival du Voyageur in Winnipeg on February 23 to see Zrada perform at the event’s first-ever Ukrainian night!

- Check out more work by Mariya Khymynets, the artist who did the cover art for The Old Ways

Music

- A big thanks to Zrada for letting us use “Wedding,” off of The Old Ways, as Vsi’s intro song this episode!

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 tour means to the dancers and to Ukraine.

What Else You’ll Hear

- How the full-scale invasion of Ukraine affected the National Ballet of Ukraine

- Where money raised from Nadiya will go

- Insight into the National Ballet of Ukraine’s through Canada

Resources

- Learn more about the National Ballet of Ukraine (website, Instagram, Facebook)

- Learn more about Humanite Peace Collective (website, Instagram)

- Follow Vsi on Instagram and Facebook

Music

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

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 customs modern and fit your big day

- How Hannah and her husband, Yulian, unknowingly practised Ukrainian wedding traditions years before they got married

Resources

- Follow Hannah on Instagram and ask her for more wedding insight

- Follow Vsi on Instagram and Facebook

Music

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

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

- Purchase tickets for the Edmonton show (September 9) or Saskatoon show (September 16)

- Follow PFE on Instagram and Facebook

- Follow Volya on Instagram and Facebook

- Follow Vsi on Instagram and Facebook

Music

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

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 our emotions

- Letters from special guests Eva van Rensburg, Carson McLean, and Liudmyla Tereshchenko

- An official call-out for you all to write your own love letters

Resources

- Follow Vsi on Instagram and Facebook

- Watch our love letter video

Music

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

- And thanks to Bedzvin for letting us use “Broken Bow” to play under the love letters. Follow him on Instagram to learn about and support his efforts that provide aid to Ukraine.