North Texas Ukrainian community comes together for art, dance and rock music against backdrop of war

From KERA News:

On a warm, humid Saturday night in late August, a concert was brewing at the University of Dallas in Irving.

It wasn’t just any summer concert, though. It was a celebration of Ukrainian Independence Day, hosted by the Ukrainian Cultural Club of Dallas. It took place more than three years after Russia launched a full-scale invasion against its neighbor to the west.

The concert headliners were students with Rock Garage, a music school in Austin. As the night ramped up and the audience settled into their seats, the kids got them hyped up to covers of Ukrainian pop-rock songs.

Oleksii “Alex” Vasylchenko is the culture club’s president. He said the group wants to introduce Ukrainian culture to Americans and show “why we are not the same thing as Russia or the Soviet Union.”

Vasylchenko remembered coming to the United States as a kid and explaining to other kids, and to their parents, where he was from. He said until recently, Americans largely weren’t aware of Ukraine and its history.

“I think we got our first exposure to the Americans in 2014,” Vasylchenko said, “and now obviously, unfortunately, we have another.”

Coming together under the shadow of war

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, an escalation of a war that began in 2014. It’s the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II.

Ukrainians celebrate their independence on Aug. 24.

Chelsi West Ohueri is an assistant professor of Slavic and Eurasian Studies for the University of Texas at Austin. She said against the backdrop of war, events like the Irving concert carry an added sense of meaning.

“I would imagine that, especially in the context of the war, these kinds of events might even attract people who maybe historically hadn’t participated but are very excited to be able to participate now,” West Ohueri explained.

She said community organizations like the Ukrainian Cultural Club help people stay connected to their home countries and cultures. From her research with expat Albanian and Kosovar communities, she found that first, second and third-generation immigrants to the United States are “really committed to wanting to participate and celebrate, and to building relationships together.”

Reflecting on three years since invasion

At the concert, the mood was cheerful. But the war lingered over the event – quite literally while the performers sang, danced and played instruments in front of a projection that read, “STOP WAR: Stand with Ukraine.”

The crowd rose to their feet and joined local folk singer group Veselka in a rendition of “Prayer for Ukraine,” a patriotic hymn originally published in 1885. The song often closes Ukrainian church services and was featured on Saturday Night Live in 2022.

Iryna Dovzhanska is a small business owner who sold handmade jewelry and other traditional items at the event. She said all proceeds from her shop go directly to Ukraine, where she’s originally from.

Dovzhanska said when she visited her home country earlier this summer, she saw that Ukrainians no longer evacuate when they hear air raid sirens.

“Three years into the war, it’s a new norm for Ukrainians,” she said. “Most of them don’t go anywhere, they just hope for the best and pray.”

But despite this new norm, Dovzhanska said Ukraine won’t give up territory or forget those killed. She wants Americans to stay informed about what’s happening in Ukraine.

“One point that people need to know: Ukraine will never surrender,” she said.

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