Vsi: The Podcast

While superstitions and folk beliefs are ancient customs, people still practise them today. It could be because they truly believe bad luck will come if they don’t follow them, or it might just be that it’s something passed down to them so it’s become second nature. When we were in Ukraine, superstitions became ingrained in us. And we became some pretty lucky folks.

We want to share this luck with you. In this episode, Hannah and Kaitlin will highlight some standout Ukrainian superstitions and tell stories to back them up.

What Else You’ll Hear

- Superstitions around the home, for your love life, for dancers, to practise when entertaining, and to follow while enjoying refreshments

- Some of the most memorable birthday celebrations Hannah and Kaitlin attended in Ukraine

- A superstition Hannah, Kaitlin, and their friends made up around their matching tattoos

- A cautionary tale of when Hannah believed a superstition that wasn’t actually a superstition

- A shoutout to the Vegreville Pysanka Festival, one of our favourite Ukrainian festivals!

Resources

- Follow Vsi on Instagram and Facebook

Music

- A big thanks to Joryj Kłoc for letting us use “Poltavśkyj Sotnyk” as Vsi’s theme song

Kaitlin released an updated edition of her book Planted: Stories From Manitoba’s Natural World, with proceeds supporting humanitarian aid in Ukraine. In this episode, Hannah talks with Kaitlin about the inspiration behind the book, her connection to nature, and how Kaitlin’s Ukrainian heritage has shaped her writing and life.

What Else You’ll Hear

- An overview of what you’ll read in Planted

- What’s been updated since Kaitlin released the first edition five years ago

- Hannah’s takeaways from the book

- Kaitlin’s favourite nature memory from Ukraine

- What organizations Planted proceeds are supporting

Resources

- Purchase Planted via e-transfer or by credit card

- Organizations Planted is supporting (with more to come!): Ukrainian Patriot, Cobblestone Freeway Foundation, Lifeline Ukraine, Come Back Alive

- Follow Vsi on Instagram and Facebook

Music

- A big thanks to Joryj Kłoc for letting us use “Poltavśkyj Sotnyk” as Vsi’s theme song

After a break in performances because of the pandemic, Ukrainian dance groups are back on stage. One of those groups is Canada’s Ukrainian Shumka Dancers from Edmonton. The company is touring Canada and made a stop in Winnipeg, where we had a chance to attend a dance workshop, see the elaborate sets and costumes up close backstage, and talk with Shumka dancer Caitlin Kaminsky and Shumka Senior Creative Director Les Sereda.

What Else You’ll Hear

- What it’s like dancing with Shumka

- The importance of celebrating Ukrainian culture during times of war

- What to expect in the show: Mosquito’s Wedding (All You Need is Love), Promised Land, My Yeh (We Are), Echoes of Hopak

- What goes into putting on such an impressive production

- The things that stood out most to us about the show

- Some tips to stay motivated as a Ukrainian dancer or instructor

- When Shumka will be coming to a city near you

Resources

- Head to Shumka’s website to find out when the company will perform near you

- Follow Shumka on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

- Follow Vsi on Instagram and Facebook

Music

- A big thanks to Joryj Kłoc for letting us use “Poltavśkyj Sotnyk” as Vsi’s theme song

russia’s war against Ukraine is ongoing. The war has brought a rollercoaster of emotions for many. We’ve been frustrated, annoyed, angry, heartbroken, sad. And in other moments we’ve felt hopeful, immense pride and patriotism, and a strong love for Ukraine.

Among many standing up for Ukraine, plenty of creatives have been sharing their heart, sharing news, and sharing their support for Ukraine. One of these artists is Maarit Tymchyshyn, a Ukrainian-Canadian artist working in Winnipeg. She’s spent time living, studying, and working in Ukraine and a lot of her work as an artist is influenced by her Ukrainian heritage.

Shortly after russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine started, Maarit posted a personal essay called “Too Foreign For Home” on her website. It’s a really powerful piece, and so much of it resonated with us, so we wanted to share it with our audience. In this episode, Maarit shares her essay.

What Else You’ll Hear

- Maarit’s new project Ukrainadian, a platform for Ukraine to be heard through stories, arts, food, and music

- An overview of Ukraine’s history

- Words from Maarit that may capture some of the emotions and feelings that have come up for you during russia’s full invasion of Ukraine

Resources

- “Too Foreign For Home,” by Maarit Tymchyshyn

- Ukrainadian’s website

- Maarit’s Instagram

Music

- Thank you to Nina Semchyshyn for humming and singing “Oy u luzi chervona kalyna,” written by Stepan Charnetsky

This is a heavy time for Ukraine. russia launched an unprovoked, full-scale war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

It’s heartbreaking to see this destruction. Like a lot of people, we have been experiencing so many emotions and feelings, including feeling helpless. In this episode, find out ways you can support Ukraine no matter where you are.

We talk with Vince Rees of Cobblestone Freeway and Zoya Kostetsky of Prairie Clay to hear about their fundraising efforts. We also share some ways you can support Ukraine even if you aren’t able to donate money right now.

What Else You’ll Hear

- How the Cobblestone Freeway Foundation is providing aid to Ukrainians

- How Zoya Kostetsky raised tens of thousands of dollars for Ukraine

- Stories of people in Ukraine

Resources

- Cobblestone Freeway Foundation: website, Facebook, Instagram

- Cobblestone Freeway Tours: website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube

- Ukrainian Dance World: website, Facebook, Instagram

- Prairie Clay: Instagram, Facebook, Etsy

- Timothy Snyder: Substack, Twitter

Music

- Thank you to Nina Semchyshyn for humming and singing “Oy u luzi chervona kalyna,” written by Stepan Charnetsky

Thanks to WikiSpiv and its founder Danylo (Daniel) Centore, Ukrainian folk songs will live on as long as the internet exists. WikiSpiv is a collaborative living songbook website that documents the history of Ukrainian folk songs. Anyone can add their knowledge to the site, though Danylo has done the bulk of the work, including extensive research to find the origin of songs,

What Else You’ll Hear

- How WikiSpiv tracks the evolution of language

- Fun Ukrainglish phrases from common zabava songs

- Words of wisdom for others working on side projects

- How you can help document Ukrainian folk songs

Resources

- WikiSpiv website and Facebook page

- Danylo’s favourite Ukrainian song: lyrics and music

- Help Danylo figure out who wrote the song “Vohov.” Here are the lyrics!

- Performances by Danylo: fundraiser for Barvinok Ukrainian Dance Ensemble in Seattle and Christmas fundraiser for Help us Help

- Danylo’s Spotify playlists: Hey, Zabava and Best of Barabolya

- ЛГБТ+ Українська Діаспора, a safe space created on Slack.com for LGBTQPIA+ Ukrainians and Allies in North America to connect with each other. This is another project that Danylo helps out with.

Music

- A big thanks to Joryj Kłoc for letting us use “Poltavśkyj Sotnyk” as Vsi’s theme song

Alina Kuzma is a fourth-generation bandurist, a.k.a. someone who plays the bandura, an instrument sometimes said to embody the “voice and soul of Ukraine.” Alina is a co-founder of the Women’s Bandurist Ensemble of North America and a member of Korinya Folk Band. The bandura has shaped her life in many ways — in all ways, really. Alina says she wouldn’t exist if not for this instrument. In this episode, Vsi listeners are treated to a performance by Alina!

What Else You’ll Hear

- How Alina merges traditional music with modern times

- How you can start learning the bandura yourself

- The phenomenon of the bandura camp experience

- How the bandura has become a passport for Alina

- The different types of the bandura

- “A little bit of angry feminism”

Resources

- Women’s Bandurist Ensemble of North America: YouTube, Facebook, Website, Contact Page

- Korinya Folk Band: Spotify, Instagram, Facebook, Website

- Documentary about Ukrainian musicians

Music

- A big thanks to Joryj Kłoc for letting us use “Poltavśkyj Sotnyk” as Vsi’s theme song

We’re best friends, and we want you to be our best friend, too. We thought it’s about time you really get to know us — why we love celebrating Ukrainian dance and culture, what inspires us in life, and the question you’ve all been wondering: if we owned a stall at a market in Ukraine, which stall would it be?

What Else You’ll Hear

- What a reverse interview is — now this is something you do not learn in journalism school

- How living in Ukraine changed us

- Analogies. Lots of analogies.

- Yet another plea for you to write us a review on your favourite podcast platform — when you do, tell us your mailing address, and we’ll send you a note in appreciation!

Resources

- Come say hi on Instagram: @hanpicklyk and @kaitlinvitt

- And follow Vsi on Instagram (@vsi.ukr) and Facebook (@vsi.ukr)

Music

- A big thanks to Joryj Kłoc for letting us use “Poltavśkyj Sotnyk” as Vsi’s theme song

Lana Nicole Niland, a Canadian living in Ukraine and a former Virsky dancer, is a business owner, choreographer, magazine editor, and a whole lot of other things. Her love for Ukrainian dance shaped her life in ways she couldn’t ever imagine. Prepare to be inspired to nurture and follow your dreams!

What Else You’ll Hear

- How she went from dancing in Saskatoon to dancing in Kyiv

- The difference between folk dance in Ukraine and Canada

- What inspired Lana to launch her business Postmark Ukraine

Resources

- Postmark Ukraine website, Instagram, and Facebook

- What’s On Kyiv website, Instagram, and Facebook

- Rodovid Academy of Ukrainian Dance website, Instagram, and Facebook

- Virsky Ensemble

- Pavlychenko Folklorique Ensemble

Music

- A big thanks to Joryj Kłoc for letting us use “Poltavśkyj Sotnyk” as Vsi’s theme song

Prefer the written word? Check out our blog post version of this episode at vsi-ukr.com/blog/lananicoleniland.

It’s time to sum up the rest of our year in Ukraine! The final two cities we trained in were Lutsk and Poltava. In this episode, we relate our time with the Volyn and Poltava state ensembles to cooking borsch, the classic Ukrainian dish.

What Else You’ll Hear

- How rehearsals were set up in each city

- What life was like outside of the studio

- The only inspirational quote you’ll ever need to know in life

Resources

- Volyn ensemble on Facebook

Music

- A big thanks to Joryj Kłoc for letting us use “Poltavśkyj Sotnyk” as Vsi’s theme song

Prefer the written word? Check out our blog post version of this episode at vsi-ukr.com/blog/lutskpoltava.