‘We fight with dance’

Winnipeg

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This article was published 12/10/2023 (766 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In Slavic folklore, a rusalka is a mystical water sprite — so, to celebrate its 60th anniversary, Winnipeg’s Rusalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble has chosen a water theme for its feature dance.

Voda!, to be presented by Rusalka on Saturday, Oct. 14 at Club Regent Event Centre, tells the story of the “mystical journey” of “water’s integral role in Ukrainian culture and traditions.”

The performance has been in the works for just over a year, according to technical director Christine Preachuk, and will comprise the first half of Rusalka’s 60th anniversary gala. The second half will delve more into the company’s history, combining different dances from throughout its existence.

With the concert just days away, dancer Matthew Pichlyk said there was a lot to be excited about.

“With a group close to 30 dancers, a big part of putting a show of this magnitude together is the ability to work together and help everyone,” said Pichlyk, who’s been with Rusalka for seven years. “Every single one of us has to evolve, become a better dancer, and to be at our very best for when the concert date shows up. And that is through working as a team with older dancers, younger dancers, to be able to work to help when we have the ability, so we have everything looking sharp and clean and everyone’s at their best of their ability.”

Creative director Vincent Rees described himself as a “newbie” to the company, and said that working on the anniversary show has been a “great honour.”

“I grew up knowing about Rusalka, hearing about Rusalka, and knowing that they were one of the legendary groups in Canada and one of the top groups outside of Ukraine and around the world,” he said. “And so to have have the privilege and honor to be involved with them on their 60th anniversary was really special …  It was (also) really fun to be able to connect the dots and realize that we have a larger national Ukrainian dance community.”

Preachuk has connections to Rusalka that date back to before she was born, she said, as her mother used to dance with the ensemble. She said Voda! will be her final show working backstage.

“As someone who came onto the dance floor after my mom, and after many others before me, to share that dance floor with her, in some ways, and to also now be in front of the group and watch my own children be in the same place as I was when I started out … I can’t express it,” she said. “It’s pride, it’s love for the ensemble because that’s where I met my husband, you know, there’s just so many emotions that run through me … I have to say that UNF (the Ukrainian National Federation) and Rusalka are home. That’s how I look at it.

“I’ve watched Rusalka perform many, many times. But I have hardly ever watched them from the front of the stage,” she said. “So it’s going to be very different for me moving forward, but again, it’ll just be that amount of pride and love that I have for the ensemble from all the years that I’ve been here.”

A lot can happen in 60 years, and Rees complimented the group for continuing to dance and share culture even in times of uncertainty, especially since the 2022 Russian invasion in Ukraine.

“Ukrainian culture has been under threat for hundreds of years, but still, when we get up on stage now, it’s more important than ever,” Rees said. “And we have (a girl) in our ranks who’s come from Ukraine, escaping the war, and joined our dance group. I think every time I see her in the mirror, and you guys see her in the mirror, it’s a reminder.

“It’s fun, we have fun, and that’s OK that we’re having fun,” Rees said. “But sometimes it’s really important for us to be reminded how valuable (this is). We’re fighting a war on the cultural front. Not all wars are fought with guns. Sometimes we fight with dance.”

For more information on Rusalka and to buy tickets for Voda!, visit rusalka.mb.ca