Several Ukrainian dancers with local roots took to the Toronto stage at North America’s largest Ukrainian street festival — Bloor West Village.
Members of Winnipeg’s Rusalka ensemble performed five different dances at the Bloor West Village Ukrainian Festival Sept. 12 to 14.
Lockport’s Teeson Thompson took part in the lively weekend. He has been Ukrainian dancing since he was four years old and began performing with Rusalka in 2016.
“We all dance for a different reason — tradition, workout, exercising, and more — but I dance because of the community,” Thompson said. “There is so much pride and love for the Ukrainian culture. We do it for Ukraine, ourselves, and the history and traditions we grew up with — it’s the sense of belonging that keeps me going.”
Thompson, who credits his mom for introducing him to the art, has performed across Canada and toured internationally with Rusalka. Most recently in Toronto, the 25-dancer ensemble performed four dances Saturday afternoon: a welcome number, Kalyna; a water-inspired Karpaty; their brand-new Lemko Suite; and a quick, technical Buko Suite. They performed the same four dances in the evening, plus their Hopak — the “classic” Ukrainian dance featuring red pants and boots. The Rusalka Junior Ensemble also performed during the weekend.
Thompson described the weekend as a unique performance opportunity. “The environment of the festival is different from the ones we normally do. It was all outdoors, right on Bloor Street,” he explained. “When we were on stage, the street was packed as far as we could see. There were people surrounding the stage. From the left, right and centre, there were people everywhere. Just to have that kind of audience really drives our excitement for the dance.”
Another highlight for him was being able to watch other ensembles perform.
“These types of festivals are special because we get to see and collaborate with other dancers. We also get to showcase our Manitoban-Ukrainian heritage beyond Manitoba stages. It means a lot to us because we are proud of our history and culture as a group and we are always excited to perform for new faces and audiences.”
While not performing, Rusalka dancers took time to enjoy the festival. They participated in the parade, went to the zabava after-party, watched other performances, and visited local sites and vendors.
Leading up to the festival, dancers held a few extra rehearsals to ensure their performances were in “top-notch condition,” Thompson said. These rehearsals were in addition to the six hours a week they practise year-round.
Rusalka is an audition-only ensemble and accepts dancers from across the province, including seven from the Selkirk/St. Andrews area.
“We are so fortunate that in this province there are lots of communities with strong Ukrainian culture and amazing dance schools,” Thompson said. “Everyone has their own talents and tricks they are able to bring to the table, so it is nice to showcase them all.”
Looking ahead, he hopes to continue dancing and wants to be a mentor to younger dancers joining the ensemble. “I want to help shape them into the best dancers they can be,” he said. He also hopes to continue travelling with Rusalka and check a few more international locations off his bucket list.
