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\u2019s 60th anniversary gala. The second half will delve more into the company\u2019s history, combining different dances from throughout its existence.<\/p>\n Winnipeg Free Press file photo<\/p>\n Rusalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, pictured here in action at its 50th anniversary performance in 2013, has been sharing Ukrainian dance, folklore and culture for 60 years.<\/p><\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n With the concert just days away, dancer Matthew Pichlyk said there was a lot to be excited about.<\/p>\n \u201cWith 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,\u201d said Pichlyk, who\u2019s been with Rusalka for seven years. \u201cEvery 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\u2019s at their best of their ability.\u201d<\/p>\n Creative director Vincent Rees described himself as a \u201cnewbie\u201d to the company, and said that working on the anniversary show has been a \u201cgreat honour.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI 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,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd so to have have the privilege and honor to be involved with them on their 60th anniversary was really special \u2026\u00a0 It was (also) really fun to be able to connect the dots and realize that we have a larger national Ukrainian dance community.\u201d<\/p>\n 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! <\/em>will be her final show working backstage.<\/p>\n \u201cAs 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 \u2026 I can\u2019t express it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s pride, it\u2019s love for the ensemble because that\u2019s where I met my husband, you know, there\u2019s just so many emotions that run through me \u2026 I have to say that UNF (the Ukrainian National Federation) and Rusalka are home. That\u2019s how I look at it.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve watched Rusalka perform many, many times. But I have hardly ever watched them from the front of the stage,\u201d she said. \u201cSo it\u2019s going to be very different for me moving forward, but again, it\u2019ll just be that amount of pride and love that I have for the ensemble from all the years that I\u2019ve been here.\u201d<\/p>\n Supplied image by Simeon Rusnak<\/p>\n Winnipeg-based Ukrainian dance ensemble Rusalka celebrates 60 years with an anniversary gala on Saturday, Oct. 14 at Club Regent Event Centre.<\/p><\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cUkrainian culture has been under threat for hundreds of years, but still, when we get up on stage now, it\u2019s more important than ever,\u201d Rees said. \u201cAnd we have (a girl) in our ranks who\u2019s 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\u2019s a reminder.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fun, we have fun, and that\u2019s OK that we\u2019re having fun,\u201d Rees said. \u201cBut sometimes it\u2019s really important for us to be reminded how valuable (this is). We\u2019re fighting a war on the cultural front. Not all wars are fought with guns. Sometimes we fight with dance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t