Andrii Levchenko researches and promotes Ukrainian folk music, like through his multimedia project Bubny in Ukraine, where he shares the playing techniques and peculiarities of bubny.
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I miss Ukraine. A lot.
At this point, you could swap out “Ukraine” in that first sentence with a number of things. Dance practice, family meals, friend hangouts not through a screen, when breaking news was just that and not a new constant in our lives. But because my focus for this blog is Ukraine, I’m going to leave that sentence as is.
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I think I figured out how to solve all the problems in the world — make more pysanky.
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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.
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The kitchen is a magical place.
It’s where food is cooked up, where everyone seems to gather — no matter how many people there are and no matter how much space outside of the kitchen there is — and it’s also where, at least in my house, I review classic Ukrainian polkas with family.
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Lately, Ukraine has been in the headlines every day in the Western world, many of the stories focusing on Donald Trump’s impeachment hearings, and others reporting from the front lines in Ukraine. If you’re looking for a bit more insight into Ukraine, here are some podcasts to help get you started.
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The new year is almost here.
And if you believe in the magic of repeating numbers, 2020 is going to be a good one.
And if you don’t, 2020 is still going to be a good one.
At the start of this year, I put up the post “Why I glare at you when you whistle indoors: A guide to Ukrainian superstitions.” And it’s time for round two.
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Six months ago, a mysterious Instagram and Facebook account started popping up on my feed: Rodovid Academy of Ukrainian Dance.
“Do you want to be a better Ukrainian dancer?”
“Do you want to take your dance career to the next level?”
“Do you want to improve your dance lexicon?”
Yes, yes, and yes.
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