Volyn Combines Music and Motion

By Halya Wawryshyn

For anyone who enjoys good Ukrainian folk music, both instrumental and choral, and dance, the Volyn Ukrainian Song and Dance Company is a dream come true.

The performance of the company from Lutsk, the capital city of the Volyn oblast, at Toronto’s Hummingbird Centre on June 24 was glorious. Unfortunately, the cavernous 3,000-seat auditorium was only half-filled. But, those who attended witnessed a concert they will not soon forget.

The opening number was dynamic. The vocalists came on stage singing exuberantly with a drummer preceding them.  They were soon  followed by a troupe of energetic dancers.  It was a prelude to what was to come: an evening of perpetual music and motion, in the unique and traditional Volyn style.

The ensemble consists of 50 performers: singers, a dance troupe, and a small orchestra.

Though the dancers of Volyn displayed great skill and discipline, they retain a casual folksiness in their presentation. All the dancers were very competent, but some stood out for their superb precision. This is unlike the Virsky dancers from Kyiv who uniformly showcase perfect technicality in a purely showy fashion.

Yet, it is Volyn’s ability to blend technicality with seemingly effortless spontaneity that is at the root of the troupe’s art and charm.  The dancers are also good actors.  Especially cute was a dance in which three dancers were dressed as decrepit old men. Each tries to woo a young girl, with humorous results.

For audiences used to seeing only male dancers exhibiting athletic steps, Volyn presented a refreshing departure. In various numbers, especially when a trio of couples danced a humourous polka number, the women displayed amazing gymnastic prowess.

The singers also demonstrated great showmanship. They not only sang but also acted–flirted or joked on stage–reflecting the lyrics of each song.  In a song about a lover who rides away, the women sang so effectively that their rhythm was evocative of a horse’s hooves. Some singers were even good dancers too.  One female soloist performed a long series of energetic turns that received a loud round of spontaneous applause.

The Volyn style of singing is bouncy with, at times, a deep guttural sound. Many of the song and dance numbers were punctuated by the exuberant yelping of female soloists. The sound is somewhat reminiscent of the singing often heard in Eastern Ukraine.

The singers and dancers often appeared on stage together.  For example, when the choir sang about kozaks, out came kozak dancers, dressed in red sharavary and holding long poles. They then proceeded to perform a kozak number in true Zaporozhian style.

The costume designer went to great lengths to ensure authenticity.  One noticeable difference between the costumes of Volyn and other regains are the women’s headpieces.  The wreaths of female dancers sit higher on the head than in other regions.  The older female singers wore high headdresses, resembling pill-box hats, wrapped with a kerchief. 

Though the bulk of the show featured the dance and music of the Volyn oblast, the final number was the hopak, a characteristic dance of the Poltava region, which traditionally ends most Ukrainian dance concerts. Volyn’s version had the requisite stunts by the young men and some amazing turns, especially by the nimble girls.  By ending with the hopak, Volyn highlighted that Ukrainians are all one, regardless of which region they are from.

After a lengthy standing ovation, Leonid Oleksiuk, the producer, thanked the audience and introduced the artistic director and chief conductor, Oleksander Stadnyk, the ballet master Valeryi Smirnov, the choir master V. Yefimenko as well as the orchestra leader, R. Piatachuk.

The Consul General of Ukraine in Toronto, Ihor Lossovskyi, was called on for a few words.  He lavishly praised Volyn for an excellent concert. 

With such talented emissaries from Volyn, hopefully, those who had a chance to see their performance may want to visit this colourful area of Ukraine.