Topics for Composition and Discussion

• Money is more important than family and friendship.

• When in Rome do as Romans do.

• Could you explain the reasons for problems in a relationship of an American and his Russian wife?

Text c. Ukrainians in North America

Ukrainian Americans are citizens of the United States who emigrated to the United States or are of Ukrainian origin. According to US census (перепис населення), in 2006 there were 961,113 Americans of Ukrainian descent representing 0.33% of the American population. The Ukrainian population of the United States is thus the second largest outside the former Soviet Union; only Canada has a larger Ukrainian community.

The Ukrainian diaspora is the global community of Ukrainians, especially those who maintain (зберігають) some kind of connection to the land of their ancestors (предки) and maintain their feeling of Ukrainian national identity within their own local community. Now let us see what some Canadian and American Ukrainians have to say about their cultural life.

“On the steppes of Ukraine grows a herb (трава) called Yevshan. The people of this land believe that this herb has many strange mythical powers. To Ukrainians all over the world, the scent of the Yevshan is the scent of home, bringing back memories of childhood, of one's first love, and a feeling of belonging...

With the Yevshan herb in mind, a group of 30 dancers joined together to form a Ukrainian dance group and it became registered as the Yevshan Ukrainian Folk Ballet Ensemble. The fall of 2000 marked the 40th Anniversary of The Yevshan Ukrainian Folk Ballet Ensemble. This is a significant step forward for dance in Canada, making Yevshan the longest running and most widely traveled dance company in the province of Saskatchewan.

The Yevshan Ukrainian Folk Ballet Ensemble was created in 1960 with the aim of preserving, interpreting and expressing historical and contemporary Ukrainian cultural values for public enjoyment through the art of dance. For over 40 years, Yevshan has thrilled audiences throughout the world, including performances in England, Sweden, Ukraine and the United States. Yevshan has toured Canada extensively and have performed continuously in many cities in their home province of Saskatchewan. They have performed at two World Fairs, and have twice danced for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England. In July of 1998 Yevshan completed their successful tour of Eastern Ukraine where they danced in 5 major cities. In 2002 they began their second tour of Western Ukraine (their first being in 1992 at the invitation of the Ukrainian government) and finished off the summer by being guest performers at the San Diego, California Ukrainian Heritage Festival.

Yevshan is under the artistic directorship of Mr. Vitali Sorokotiahin, who was Ballet Master and Regisseur, from the Nadzbruchanka Dance Ensemble, Ternopil, Ukraine. He studied at the Melitopol Institute of Culture, directed the Molodist Dance Ensemble in Zaporizhzhia and was a dancer/soloist with the Odesa Region Song and Dance Ensemble. In the year 2000 Vitali and his family became Canadian citizens and have made their permanent home in Saskatoon.

Destiny has brought us across the sea, from the beautiful valleys of the Dniepro River. Here we have planted our roots deep, living in joy and harmony. As our forefathers would want it. We dance when we are happy, dance when we are sad, dance when we are joyful, dance when we are in pain. We dance to let others know who we are, where we are from and to let them know our gift of life. Most of all, we dance because we love it. We are Yevshan!”

“The Ukrainian American Youth Association "SUM" (Spilka Ukrainskoi Molodi) is proud to sponsor their dance classes, under the direction and choreography of Hryts Mamot. This is Hryts's first year with the two groups. The ensemble is split into two groups based on age: Solovey who range from 7 to 12 years of age and Kalyna from 13 up to 17 years old.

The dances are based on original traditional folk dances and develop a bond between the dancers and their ethnic heritage as well as (а також) being a joy to watch.”

Exercise 15.

• Look through Text С and find the sentences in which the Present Perfect is used. Translate and write them down.

Exercise 16.

• Read Text C and answer the following questions:

What do we know about Ukrainian and Canadian Americans?

Why is the Yevshan Ukrainian Folk Ballet Ensemble so popular all over the world?

What are the dances of the Yevshan Ukrainian Folk Ballet Ensemble based on?