An Interview with a Virsky Company Dancer
This month on Vsi, we have our first guest! To listen to the episode, go to this link. For those who prefer the written word, below is the transcript from this episode.
The Rapid Fire Round
Boots or character shoes? Character shoes, for sure.
Dance shorts or dance skirt? Dance skirt.
Ballet or character? Character.
Borsch or varenyky? Borsch.
Volyn or Hutsul? Both. Can I do both?
The Q + A
Now that we have a little background into who you are, I guess we should introduce who we are talking to. Today we are talking to our first guest on Vsi. With us today is Natalya, a dancer with the Virsky ensemble. We are coming to you live from Kyiv, Winnipeg, and rural Manitoba, so let’s hope it all goes great.
In our last podcast, we chatted and reminisced about our time training with Virsky Studio, so to follow that up, we have Natalya. Things are a little different with everything going on, but what is the Virsky Company up to right now?
Thank you to Natalya for sending us some photos to use in this post!
Well, before the coronavirus madness started, we were preparing for our all-Ukrainian tour. We were supposed to go on tour at the beginning of April. We were having dance battles with the Georgian ensemble, Rustavi. Hopefully, we will still do it. They say that we will do it at the beginning of June if everything will be OK. I guess when everything will be over we will start rehearsing for that.
There was a big tour planned in May. We were supposed to go to Chile. But again, nobody knows what’s going to happen. Maybe it will be postponed — nobody knows. Apart from that, we had our solo concert at the Palace of Ukraine in mid-February. After that we worked on some new dances. No concerts, nothing like that. Just chilling and working on new choreography.
During this break, are dancers still encouraged to workout, dance, or anything like that?
Yeah, of course. But everyone understands that it’s our own business because as soon as this is over we can have concerts on the very first day we get back. It’s absolutely possible, and it’s in everyone’s own interest to be prepared for that. It’s like after vacation, we usually start a little earlier before our actual vacation is over just because we need to workout, we need to prepare ourselves. Nobody knows what is going to happen when we are back for work — we could have a concert and we will die, literally.
Of course everyone is encouraged to workout but most of the time people understand that themselves. Some people post videos of their workouts — we have to do something while we are at home. For most people who are really used to being always in movement, it’s really hard to just stay on the sofa. It feels nice for the first two to three days, but after that your body starts needing some movement, something more than going from the kitchen to the sofa.
Of course this period of time looks different for a Virsky dancer, but what does a typical day look like for you while training with Virsky?
We usually work from Monday to Friday. Usually my day starts at 8 a.m. I wake up, I have breakfast, and I go to work. We usually start work at 10 a.m. It depends — usually one day the boys start at 10 while the girls start at 11:30, and the other days are vice versa. For those who start at 10, they have ballet for 45 to 55 minutes, and then we have technical class. While the others have their ballet, the first group has a break — sometimes it is a real break where we can go grab some coffee and some snacks but sometimes when we need to rehearse something, for example, a female dance or we are working on new choreography, we usually have a small break (20 to 25 minutes), and then we go to a different rehearsal room and rehearse those parts that we need to. Sometimes it can be a solo dance, for example, or sometimes it can be all females, or when someone is in a new spot and he or she needs to go through the dance before the orchestra rehearsal.
At 12:30 we start our combined rehearsal. We finish approximately at 4:00 because the Studio starts at 4:30, and we need to give the room some air. Again, the rehearsal depends on what we are preparing for. Sometimes it can be a slow, chill rehearsal when we rehearse only one or two dances in a day — we break it into parts, we do only girls then only boys — like a slow rehearsal if we have nothing to prepare for, and we can rehearse at our own pace. But when we are preparing for something, it’s usually a very fast-paced rehearsal, especially if it’s our solo concert. Usually we have three or four orchestra rehearsals before that — it’s done in one shot, like a concert.
Then I come home. Sometimes I can have a nap if, I’m particularly tired, then have dinner. Usually I don’t really like working out in the evening because I get my physical activity at work — usually it’s just TV, reading, and sometimes I go to sleep really early, like 9 p.m.
How long have you been with the Company, and what was your journey to dancing with Virsky?
Well, it feels like forever, to tell you the truth. Just because I started when I was five or six with the Virsky School. Since then I have literally lived there. When you spend so much time in one building with the same people, it really feels like you live there, and they’re your family. I finished Virsky School and then Virsky Studio, and now I work with Virsky Company. I’m 24 so it has been almost 18 years.
In those 18 years, did you always want to be part of the Ensemble, or how long have you wanted to make it into the Company?
Actually, it was a very interesting path. When I was little, I wanted to dance like hell. It was my dream when I was five or six, and I was very excited. But then when I turned 10 or 11, I had a trauma, and it was painful for me to dance so everyone decided, “OK, it’s not for her.” I was really happy because as most children at that age I wanted to go out with my friends, and I wanted to watch TV at home, I wanted to surf the internet, go on my computer, and when you have to dance three or four times a week when everyone else was just having fun — well, obviously I was happy that finally I could be done with dancing.
For three or four years, I was going back and forth, just because of the trauma and because I had some problems with my health, and in those years I wasn’t dancing constantly. When I turned 15, in Ukraine I was in the tenth form (grade) so I had one more year before I graduated from school, and I had to choose what I was going to do later. My family decided I had to study, and so I started to prepare really hard for my institute (my university).
When I realized, here it is, my future job, you’re going to do international relations now, I realized, no, I don’t want to do international relations — I want to dance. At the same time, I understood that I needed something like a backup plan because my trauma didn’t go away, and nobody could know what could happen later, so I needed something else.
We decided that I should still go to university to study something else. I came back dancing full time, professionally, and here I am now. I went to Studio when I was in tenth form, and now I’m here at Virsky. I graduated from university. While I was studying there, I started my second university degree which was choreography related. Now if something happens, I have a backup plan, but at the same time I can do something that I love, so here I am.
We understand that your family has always been pretty involved with the ensemble. Did that put any pressure on you to focus more on dance as a career?
Not really. You know, most parents who have a really hard job, they don’t want their kids to do the same. My family has always been very open to my suggestions. They were always saying you should do whatever you want to do. They were never putting any pressure or making me dance.
I would even say they were against me dancing, just because they know how hard it is and they know it can affect your health. It literally changes your life. Your life is never going to be the same when you’re a dancer because you travel all the time. It completely changes your life. They wanted me to understand that it’s not an easy piece of bread, you know? That’s why it was completely my own decision.
Yes, obviously it had an effect on me because I wanted to do that because I saw how it affected my parents, how it affected my family. I see how much they love what they are doing and probably how happy their job makes them — I wanted the same.
When we met you, you mentioned you were studying at university and were working on one of your degrees. How did you manage dancing with Virsky and still going to school?
I have no idea. It was really hard. When people ask me, “How can you find time for everything?” I’m like, “I can’t.” It was a very hard time for me because I didn’t get enough sleep. I was always exhausted physically and mentally. I was stressed because I am an A student. I couldn’t just deal with everything and couldn’t just not care. I wanted to get all As still.
I was going to my university early in the morning because some of my classes started at 8 a.m. Sometimes I had to go earlier than that because I had some extra-curriculum classes that I needed for professors to give me credits for some classes. I guess the thing that helped me was that I was a really good student before so I knew most of my professors, and they knew what I was doing. Even though I was studying full time, obviously I didn’t attend all classes. I asked for professors to give me some extra tasks just for me to cover all the missed classes.
Thankfully, during my master’s degree we only had three days of classes in a week, so if those were the days the girls started at 11:30 (at Virsky), I could even attend two out of three classes (at university). It was hard but it was interesting. When I graduated, it was a very interesting feeling for me because I have been studying for 6.5 years. It was an interesting feeling when I didn’t have to rush. I somehow had an extra six hours in a day and didn’t know what to do with all that time.
What could you see yourself doing if you weren’t a professional dancer? What would you be doing instead and would it have to do with one of the degrees you have?
I have no idea. I always say that I would be a really good minister of culture of Ukraine. I started studying international relations because it was really interesting for me. It’s a very comprehensive job and a very comprehensive degree. You can do so many things and at the same time you can do nothing. If we consider my degree, I should be a diplomat. But I didn’t want to be a diplomat because I didn’t want to leave Ukraine. I’m not sure, but I think that obviously there are different levels of being a diplomat if you work in your own country. Yes, it can be a well-paid job, but you need to have a lot of experience before you start getting your salary of a normal size. Before that I’m not sure that it’s a really well-paid job.
I didn’t want to leave Ukraine and go abroad to be a diplomat there. One of the things that makes me love my job even more is you can be a successful dancer and can have a success career and a happy family and travel the world and get a pretty good amount of money. I always say that I’m a very happy person because I really love what I am doing. My job not only provides for my living, it actually brings me joy.
That’s awesome! I feel like more and more people want that for the careers they are choosing, but to figure that out at such a young age, that’s awesome that you already notice that about yourself and your job. I love it!
Thanks! Being a diplomat is a really interesting job. I always say that if I had two lives, I would probably do that. If I had one life, I’d do dancing, I’d have a happy family and all that jazz. Then if I had a second life, I would really love to do something that has to do with international relations because it’s really interesting. It really develops your personality. When you start studying that you really start to understand what’s happening around you.
But at the same time I felt that when I was studying international relations it made me really stressed out. The topic of my master’s degree in short was the nuclear program in North Korea. The feeling that at any time a bomb could fall onto your head made me really stressed. I guess dancing is much better for your mental health.
You’ve talked about so many reasons why you love your job as a professional dancer. Is part of that because you’re celebrating your Ukrainian culture, and is that important to you?
Of course! When I was young I was really annoyed by the fact that I had to do Ukrainian dancing. When I started, my classmates and friends were doing salsa and ballroom dancing with beautiful gowns and handsome boys, and I was doing Volyn’ska Polka — I was really annoyed by that. As I grew up I understood that it’s not about dancing professionally in general — it’s about dancing Ukrainian choreography professionally.
I cannot explain it in words, but for some reason when I perform, when I hear this music and wear any Ukrainian costume, I just feel so proud. I don’t see it as patriotism because patriotism is more of a political term, I would say. It’s really about celebrating your culture, celebrating your roots, celebrating that you are part of something bigger than just your family or your company. It’s something that gathers us, something that joins us, something that makes us feel less alone.
I remember the first time performing with Virsky — I’m not kidding — I was standing there and we were doing Pryvit (Ukraina, Moya Ukraina), and the curtains were still closed, the first chords of the music were starting, and I was trembling, literally trembling, and I felt like I was almost crying. First, because I was obviously very nervous and second, because this feeling of something bigger, something that makes you feel happier was going through my body, and it was a very interesting experience.
“It’s something that gathers us, something that joins us, something that makes us feel less alone.”
I remember when we were training with Virsky Studio, and we saw our first orchestrated rehearsal of the company when you were preparing for a show. I remember sitting along the barres and watching the company dance and having the live music in there.
There were so many parts, and it was like well-oiled gears that fit together. Everyone was working together, but it wasn’t just work. You could tell everyone was so passionate, each piece was so passionate, and when it came together it was fire — I had chills all over my body watching that. It was such an incredible experience, and I think so many people feel that when they watch Virsky. And the only reason people feel it is because the dancers and the orchestra are feeling it, and it’s something that everyone is portraying.
That’s true, that’s true. You know, it’s really hard. Sometimes you feel like, Oh my god, I cannot do this anymore. My body hurts. I’m tired. And I understand that tomorrow is going to be a new day, especially when we are preparing for something and have several orchestra rehearsals in a row.
You just feel so exhausted that you ask, Why am I doing this to myself? Why am I torturing myself? You can just leave. Do international relations! But then during the concert, especially when we’re doing Hopak, when it’s all over, and you see the audience standing and clapping, some people are crying when you can see them in the first few rows. There is this voice in my head that says, That’s why you’re doing it. I think it’s the same for every dancer. It’s a really hard job, and if people didn’t love what they were doing they wouldn’t do it. It’s the only explanation.
On the topic of celebrating Ukrainian culture and your love for Ukrainian culture, I know you’ve worked with people from Canada and across the world doing dance workshops with Virsky. Before you met these people, did you realize how celebrated Ukrainian dance is around the world?
No, of course not. I knew in Canada there was a big Ukrainian diaspora, but I never knew that people were so interested and engaged in Ukrainian culture in a practical way. It’s not just listening to Okean Elzy or something like that — it’s actually performing, actually developing Ukrainian culture in Canada. I never knew that.
For people who are Ukrainian dancers, no matter what level they’re at or where they want to be at or what country they’re Ukrainian dancing in, what kind of advice would you share with them to help motivate them?
Natalya dancing the Volyn section in Ukrainia, Moya Ukraina.
Never stop working. It takes practice. It takes practice to succeed at anything, especially in choreography. Be inspired. Research. Try finding your favourite region, for example. Sometimes it takes some time and some research to find something that you’re good at. There is no dancer who is the best in every region, because some things talk to you a little bit more than others. Some people are more lyrical so they like doing slower parts. Some people like the Volyn region because they are very active and sharp. Be creative. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
Sometimes it feels like you can do nothing — nothing works for you, you can’t turn, you’re not flexible enough, you think you’re not in good shape — but there is nothing that can’t be done. If you want this, if you really want this, you can do it. Just never stop working on yourself. Never stop developing yourself.
And one totally random question. We noticed when we were at Virsky and all over Ukraine, ladies have their nails beautifully manicured, painted with nice designs. Many groups in Canada have strict rules about performing with nail polish — we aren’t allowed it at all. Since Ukrainian dance is your job, are you allowed to have manicures when you perform? What are the rules about performing with nail polish?
We can perform with nail polish as long as it’s light pink, nude, nothing too bright, no designs. Most of the girls at Virsky do gel that lasts two to three weeks. If we want to do something bright on our nails and we have a concert, we just cover our nails with light pink on top of gel. There’s another trick: if you don’t have nail polish, you can always put plaster (bandages) on your nails. That’s if you forgot to paint your nails before the concert and is a last-minute trick.
The Fill-in-the-Blanks
To end off, we have a few finish the sentence questions. We’ll start the sentence and you finish it off.
My favourite Virsky dance is… My z Ukrainy.
To me being a dancer means… Always working on yourself and always doubting yourself. There is no limit to perfection.
When I first met Hannah, Kaitlin, and the rest of the Canadian crew, I thought… Tricky one, yes!? I thought it was going to be a really interesting year for you and that it was going to be really hard for you. I really hoped that you would enjoy staying with Virsky. You should ask what I thought when you were leaving! I thought that you really grew up. I really saw that you enjoyed staying with Virsky Studio and with Virsky. I thought it was a very interesting two months for you. I think that if we talk about your whole year, you got enriched and learned so much that it really helped you understand Ukrainian culture.
I’m most happy when I am… with my family.
When I go to someone’s house for a party or gathering I usually bring… Food, something tasty like some candy or sometimes a bottle of wine.
What about your mama’s pickles? No. Those are limited edition.
How many languages do you speak? Fluently I would say three: Ukrainian, Russian, and English. I understand Spanish — I can speak if no one listens. I learned German and French but cannot speak. I could probably understand French but German, no. I learned German for six or seven years in school but remember nothing. Literally nothing.
We’re sending out a big thank you to Natalya for spending some time with us and sharing a bit about her experience. And thank you for reading! We’ll be back next month with another episode of Vsi, and until then you can find us on Facebook and Instagram, you can send us an email, or rate us on whatever podcast app you’re listening on. We love hearing any and all feedback you have, so please reach out.
Schaslyvo!