Johnny’s Year in Ukraine Update

So, I promised a few days and here is it guys (except more like a few weeks, give me a break I got busy dancing) …. currently, I am in the city of Lutsk, which for those who have not heard of it, the city is just north of Lviv about an hour and a half, so believe it or not super close. The city itself is stunning and gorgeous in a different way than many of the others. Chernivtsi had its own charm for being characteristically old, like Lviv, but having so much influence from Romanian, Moldavian, Russian, and Austro-Hungarian Empire relics and culture. It was amazing, however, Lutsk, has a much different affluence. It was also part of the Austro-Hungarian empire as well for many years, however, it possesses a rich Ukrainian culture with that drive to be European as well. The city is extremely clean and beautiful with a hint of modernization but generally you feel relaxation and simplicity. You feel this as you walk the street and comparably to a Lviv or Kyiv most people have a slower pace and a relaxed sense of time and self. I love it, as well as its simplicity.

However, on to the dancing. In Chernivtsi I was doing specific Bukovynian dancing where I truly had to learn a whole new style and had to learn to dance on my whole foot, basically flat-footed all the time. Which as most dancers know, we are not trained to execute. We are expected to always be on piv paltsi or balls of our feet. So, it was a complete and udder transformation for me, but I’m glad I accomplished it. I learned 9 dances with individual techniques that I look forward to sharing with students.

Now go with me on this and do a complete 180 degree turn, as I am currently in Lutsk, I am back to being on the balls of my feet and dancing with the Volyn State Ensemble of choir and dance. Guys when I say they are amazing and phenomenal, I am not kidding. I have to wipe the drool from my face as I watch them dance. I would compare them equally to a Veroyvka and Virsky quality but with just smaller numbers of dancers and singers. However, their precision, accuracy, and execution are something not to be fooled with. They put even the best groups and ensembles of America and Canada to shame.

I have learned an incredible amount in such a short period of time here. From costuming to combinations, specific arm placement for dances, to the history of this Volyn area and region. The director Pan Valeriy Vasylevych is an absolute gem and can really describe every single piece of choreography that the ensemble does, in turn to break it down into the specific region from which it descended, and why you perform it in this particular fashion. I have never been so fascinated in my life. Nor also have I learned this much about a specific region in a short period of time. I am truly looking forward to bringing some dances back seeing as how luckily, I have been graced with some Volyn inspired music which is a rarity to come by. Music here is like the holy grail of the Ukrainian dance world and is not readily shared with anyone outside of Ukraine let alone foreigners from other countries. But I have worked my charms and smile to get us some amazing pieces.

Stayed tuned as my next post will be regarding Easter, as it approaches this weekend, and I am looking forward to sharing my experiences as I go to my family in Lviv and the selo to celebrate this holiday with them.