The students of Faculty of Culture and Arts of Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University became participants in the Erasmus+ project «A (dancing) Step into the Future». As part of the project, the students visited Poland, in the city of Lodz, where they developed their knowledge and skills related to dance therapy for 10 days from July 14 to 24.
The organisers of the project note that the year 2022 entered the history of the world, when the world was slowly returning to normal life after the COVID-19 pandemic, but another tragedy occurred – the outbreak of war in Ukraine. Until now, many young people feel anxious and afraid. In such strong stressful situations, it is difficult to maintain calm and harmony, therefore, in such conditions, the implementation of the project contributes to working with young people.
Lesya Ukrainka University in Poland was represented by four students-choreographers of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years of Valentina Pryshko, Anastasia Antonyuk, Victoria Pratson and Bohdana Pylypak. After arriving in the Motherland, the representative of the delegation, Anastasia Antonyuk, shared her impressions of the trip with the rector of the University, Anatolii Tsos, and the dean of the Faculty of Culture and Arts, Vitalii Okhmanyuk.
According to the student, she participated in such a project for the first time and received a lot of positive emotions. «I really liked it, a very unusual project for me. I am glad that I was able to join and I thank the faculty and the University for this opportunity,» said Anastasia Antoniuk.
The choreographer said that every day the participants had the opportunity to attend 5 dance master classes, during which the participants created their own choreographic compositions and organized various social events, encouraging people to dance and learn to «let off steam».
Each participant could choose a master class with their favorite dance style. An additional attraction for participants who had knowledge of salsa and saw was the opportunity to participate in classes with famous instructors from Europe, among them: Wilmer and Maria, Danger Rodríguez Perez and Marielquis Hernández, Johnny Vasquez, Freddie Clan, Yoi and Jenifer Lavigne, Super Mario.
«It wasn’t sad, there was a program every day. We did everything we love, everything according to our profile. This is a new experience, new knowledge, new skills, self-knowledge,» says the project participant.
In addition, female students from Lutsk had the opportunity to get to know the new city, because they visited excursions, went for walks, and rested. The language issue became a special challenge, because the speakers, mentors and participants communicated in Polish and English, so Lesina’s choreographers could hone their language skills.
The language of dance also helped in communication. Choreographers from Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Spain and Lithuania joined the project, and one of the tasks was to create a joint international composition. Luchanka worked with colleagues from Latvia.
«We managed to find a common language, to become friends. As a result, we coped with the task, staged our number and even danced it in the center of Lodz», Anastasia recalls.
«We managed to find a common language, to become friends. As a result, we coped with the task, staged our number and even danced it in the center of Lodz», Anastasia recalls.
At the end of their stay in Poland, Valentyna Pryshko, Anastasia Antonyuk, Victoria Pratson and Bohdana Pylypaka together with other participants represented their countries, which also turned into an interesting event, because the girls prepared a special corner representing Ukraine, demonstrated folk dances and treated the audience to traditional Ukrainian dishes.
The parting chord of the project was the show-festival, which made a great impression on the students. «Light, show, organization, numbers... For us, this is an example of how events should be done. We were pleasantly surprised,» Anastasia recalls.
Rector Anatolii Tsos and Dean Vitalii Okhmanyuk listened to the student’s impressions of the trip, and also discussed possible options for further participation of students in various projects that would help their professional development and allow them to implement the acquired skills and abilities in professional activities.
«May there be more such projects. We are interested in our students traveling abroad and learning new things for themselves. It would be ideal if the acquired knowledge was applied at home. And we will work to ensure that our students become participants in international projects,» the rector summed up.
At the end of the meeting, Anastasia Antoniuk received a gift from the rector – branded souvenir products.
Andrii PETRUSHKO
Photo by Oleksandr PILIUK
and from the personal archive of female students
