The Dovbush Dancers are going to Ukraine!
We’re Excited to announce…
In August 2020 the group will be spending 2 weeks in Ukraine learning from some of the best dance groups in the country and performing at the International Ukrainian Dance & Culture Festival in Lviv. In 2013, Dovbush attended a 2-week International Ukrainian Dance workshop, and the knowledge and passion we gained from that trip continues to motivate us today. We are honoured to have the opportunity to return to Ukraine to learn from professional instructors, and to continue to fuel the passion that allows Ukrainian culture to flourish in Canada.
In order to get ourselves to Ukraine, we’ve been holding fundraisers such as pyrohy sales, costume sales, a clothing drive, and we’re performing at many events throughout the year! If you would be interested in supporting our journey to Ukraine, here are some ways you can help!
Attend one of our exciting events! Malanka is coming up soon in January, and our Year-End Concert will feature dances we’ll be performing in Ukraine!
Donate to our clothing drive! We are accepting lightly used clothing, bedding, and accessories. Contact us for drop-off dates.
Buy our delicious pyrohy! They are handmade by the dancers themselves, using a recipe passed down for generations. You’ll never be able to go back to store-bought!
Itinerary
We booked our tour through Cobblestone Freeway, who we’ve previously had an amazing time with. They have us strategically travelling to various regions in Ukraine to learn about all the beautiful intricacies of the region’s cultural dance style. We’ll be dancing in the 5th annual International Ukrainian Dance & Culture Festival over the course of many days, both outside in the town square, and in the gorgeous and grand Lviv Opera House. After travelling through Chernivtsi to study the sophisticated, faced-paced Bukovinian style, we will make our way to Kyiv. In the capital city, we will study under the world-renowned Virsky dancers, culminating in a performance in the central square for Ukraine’s Independence Day. Throughout the tour we will have the chance to gain a deeper understanding of the culture upon which our choreography is based by visiting ancient villages, outdoor museums, and enchanting markets. One unique opportunity will give us a chance to return to the legendary Dovbush Rocks, where our namesake – Oleksa Dovbush – once lived.
Memories
Our first trip uplifted us and strengthened us as a group in ways we never could have imagined. Our experiences from sweating in the studio to clambering over the Dovbush Rocks have shaped us into the passionate dance group we are today. Here’s to looking back at some awesome memories from Ukraine 2013!
The Virsky Studio
I’ve always watched Virsky dances from a very young age because my mom studied with the school and lived in Ukraine for a year-long dance program. Walking into the studio gave me chills, and just seeing the props from dances like Podolyanochka and Pro Sho Verba Plache at the back of the room brought everything I had seen growing up into reality.
While dancing at the Virsky studio, other dancers joined us from a local studio in Kyiv. Although talking to them was difficult due to language barriers, we were able to connect with them and become close friends through our love of dance. Dancing with them in our tiny kitchen to dances that we both knew was something I’ll never forget. And we’re still friends with them 8 years later!
- Taralyn Karras
Sunflower Fields
When we first arrived in Ukraine we stayed in Kiev. A big city with big grey concrete buildings - a city that looks like so many others.
Then we travelled to Lviv. I remember looking out the windows of the train at the beautiful countryside, passing through small towns, and later driving between miles and miles of huge sunflower fields. It was then that it suddenly clicked for me - THESE were the fields, the vibrant colours, and the gorgeous flowers that were embroidered on all the costumes I wore! I was looking out at the very inspiration that adorned my skirts, blouses, and my headpieces. It was a very special moment of connection, realization, and appreciation for me.
- Caitlynn Schell
Dovbush Rocks
One of the most exciting parts of our trip to Ukraine was our visit to the Dovbush rocks. We’d heard for years about the legend of the Ukrainian Robin Hood, Oleska Dovbush, who is the namesake for our group, so it was a privilege to actually go to the place where - legend has it - Dovbush and his followers held their base of operations.
I’ve always loved mythology and folklore, so being among the towering rocks felt significant because it held so much relevance to Ukrainian history and folk stories. Even more exceptional was the sense of connection we felt to our culture, and the feeling that this was something unique to the Dovbush Dancers.
- Tatyana Beck
Wool Blankets
A few of us were privileged enough to attend a separate dance tour in 2016. We booked with Cobblestone Freeway, as they had connections with dance groups, and were able to provide us with unique opportunities that we wouldn’t have been able to pull off on our own. That year was the first ever International Ukrainian Dance & Culture Festival in Lviv, and watching the performances, we knew that we would one day return with all of Dovbush to dance in the festival. The trip was magical - we stayed in beautiful wooden cabins in Kosiv and had the most amazing fluffy cherry pyrohy with whip cream for breakfast. We swam in gorgeous green rivers and floated in the pools formed by the rock formations. We visited the house of a couple who painted and sold intricate Pysanka, and they insisted we try their home-made sausage and drink a toast with them. We traveled along-side a river to a house where ladies made wool blankets on a loom, and then washed them in the churning river water. Later, we ate dinner on a remote hillside along with the traditional drink – Horilka. Cobblestone Freeway was able to take us to these deep pockets of Ukrainian culture – seemingly untouched by the modern world.
