Vsi: The Ukrainian Dance and Culture Podcast
It was just a matter of time.
Since moving back from Ukraine in July 2018 (wow, nearly two years ago!), that country has been a part of about every second conversation I’ve had. Friends, family, and other people I’d run into would ask me about my year there, how that year changed my life in Canada, when I’m moving back, and so on.
Though Ukraine has been in every second conversation, it’s been in every single thought of mine, and every thought of my friend, Hannah Picklyk, who also lived and danced in Ukraine.
Since moving back to Canada, we still Ukrainian danced. We still taught Ukrainian dance. But we needed more. So we started dreaming and brainstorming about something more we could do. We bounced lots of ideas around — I mean, a LOT — and we finally settled on one idea (for now): a podcast about Ukrainian dance and culture.
We figured a podcast would allow us to keep researching about Ukraine. To share about the country’s culture. To learn from others about ethnography, choreography, and everything else. And to connect with people from around the world about our love for Ukraine.
So we went with it, and last month, we launched Vsi. In Ukrainian, vsi means all, all of, everyone, everybody. And that’s what we plan to explore — anything and everything related to dance and culture.
So, we now have this podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. We have a blog. We have a website. And we have so many ideas for what Vsi can shape into.
Though we only recently announced it, the project has been on our minds for a while. And since deciding we were going to do this thing — only telling each other and the universe, without making an official public announcement — Ukraine has come into our lives in even more ways.
Hannah started a job at Oseredok Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre and has adjudicated Ukrainian dance festivals and led dance workshops. I started writing for Kyiv’s What’s On magazine (again) and for Oseredok’s culture page in the Winnipeg Free Press (thanks for hooking me up, Han).
And since announcing Vsi, we’ve made some great connections and met some new friends. So we’re excited to see where this all goes.
Like I said, everything was just a matter of time. We knew we needed to do some kind of project together. And now here we are.
We’ll be releasing one episode per month, maybe more. Episode one (“For the Love of Our Character Shoes”) is out now, and the second one is out Monday, March 2.
In the first few episodes, you’ll hear from Hannah and I, but we plan to have some interviews with dancers, choreographers, and ethnographers from Canada and Ukraine.
Also, we’re not experts — at podcasting or in terms of Ukrainian dance and culture. But that’s exactly why we wanted to start this — to learn, to practise, and to connect with the Ukrainian community.
Listen to the podcast at the buttons below, and hit subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. Or, if you’re more into written words than spoken ones, you can read transcripts from episodes on our blog. Here’s from the first one: “For the Love of Our Character Shoes.”