Podcasts by Vsi: The Podcast

Episode 20 | Celebrating Ukrainian Wedding Traditions in Canada from 2023-11-15T15:23:57

Vsi co-host Hannah got married in September and learned a lot about various Ukrainian wedding traditions, incorporating many of them into her wedd...

Episode 19 | Volya and PFE Present The Spirit of a Nation from 2023-08-31T17:51:34

Two top-notch Ukrainian dance ensembles in Canada are putting on a joint show this September. Saskatoon’s Pavlychenko Folklorique Ensemble (PFE) and Edmont...

Episode 18 | Love Letters to Ukraine from 2023-02-13T16:37:52

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 a...

Episode 17 | Ukrainian Superstitions for Good Luck from 2022-12-23T16:24:54

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 th...

Episode 16 | How Ukraine and Nature Inspires Author (and Co-Host) Kaitlin Vitt from 2022-09-20T14:51:18

Kaitlin released an updated edition of her book Planted: Stories From Manitoba’s Natural World, with proceeds supporting humanitarian aid in Ukrai...

Episode 15 | Canada's Ukrainian Shumka Dancers Tour Canada from 2022-05-11T18:25:04

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 f...

Episode 14 | Reflections on War from Artist Maarit Tymchyshyn from 2022-04-26T15:02:50

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....

Episode 13 | How You Can Support Ukraine from 2022-04-06T19:57:28

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

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Episode 12 | How WikiSpiv Documents Ukrainian Folk Songs from 2021-07-29T02:45:08

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 l...

Episode 11 | Learn about Bandurists in North America from Alina Kuzma from 2021-07-12T18:39:25

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.”...

Episode 10 | Get to Know Hosts Hannah Picklyk and Kaitlin Vitt from 2021-05-31T22:15:10

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 celebratin...

Episode 9 | Celebrating a Love for Ukraine with Lana Nicole Niland from 2021-05-10T22:51:44

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 ...

Episode 8 | Learning Ukrainian Dance in Lutsk and Poltava from 2021-04-10T18:49:36

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 th...

Episode 7 | Mindfulness Meditation for Dancers from 2020-12-22T00:37:52

Meditation is for everyone, dancers included. It’s a way to tend to your nervous system and self-regulate and just be. On this episode, Sam Squire...

Episode 6 | Symbolism in Ukrainian Culture + Our Tattoo Story from 2020-09-01T01:19:37

Symbolism in Ukrainian culture is everywhere, featured on the clothes we wear, the decorations in our homes, and even the tattoos on our bodies — for some of us, at least! On this episo...

Episode 5 | Ukrainian Dance in Lviv and Chernivtsi from 2020-07-01T00:15:23

In Episode 2, we talked about our time dancing with the Virsky Studio dancers in Kyiv. In this episode, we hit the road and go to...

Episode 4 | Why I Ukrainian Dance from 2020-05-12T14:23:59

Many Ukrainian dancers start when they’re young, and though at the time they don’t really know why they’re dancing in some church basement or random school gym every week, they keep sho...

Episode 3 | An Interview with a Virsky Company Dancer from 2020-04-06T13:13:28

In this interview, hear from Natalya, a Virsky Company dancer, about what life is like in the studio, how she balances life with work, and what pushes her to keep dancing even on those ...

Episode 2 | Training with the Virsky Studio Dancers from 2020-03-02T06:02:53

So what’s it like training with one of Ukraine’s top folk ensembles? In this episode, we give an overview of our experience training with the Virsky Studio dancers. These dancers are in...

Episode 1 | For the Love of Our Character Shoes from 2020-02-17T06:10:50

Wearing a heeled shoe in Ukrainian dance has always sort of been a right of passage — it’s a step up from slippers in your younger years, and the gateway to what comes next: the red boo...

Trailer | Introducing Vsi: The Ukrainian Dance and Culture Podcast from 2020-02-05T00:41:03

Vsi episodes come out once (maybe twice) a month, and the first one will be released in February. Head to our website vsi-ukr.com to subscribe to our newsletter, and we’ll let ...