In the fall of 1984, something very special was happening in the basement hall of The Nativity of the Mother of God Slovak-Byzantine Rite Catholic Church, also known as St. Mary’s, in downtown Toronto. Members of the Slovak community were gathering for the creation of something special. It was 25 years ago that Vychodna Slovak Dancers was formed.
The tight-knit Slovak community of St. Mary’s Church had for some time been discussing the idea of forming a children’s dance group, a natural progression from St. Mary’s Slovak School which started a year earlier. The school of approximately twelve children participated in poetry recitals, singing, and acting out plays. As the idea gathered momentum, costumes were made, an executive committee was established with Michal Fecko being elected the first president, and John Kadet, a member of the Zemplin Folklore Ensemble from Toronto, became the dance instructor.
Originally called the St. Mary’s Slovak Dancers, the group briefly changed their name to Dolina Dancers. One last time, the group underwent a name change, and settled on Vychodna Slovak Dancers (Vychodna). With the children on stage performing traditional Slovak songs and dances, the community was beaming with a sense of pride and accomplishment, as they were successful in bringing their Slovak traditions here to Canada. Many of the parents were immigrants to Canada, and seeing their children on stage instantly triggered memories of their youth back in the old country. For the children, many of them born in Canada, they felt a connection with their heritage. As for the Slovak community, it was an opportunity to showcase the vibrant and colourful culture to the multicultural mosaic of Canada.
Vychodna’s early success allowed the group to flourish in membership. As the original dancers matured, many were capable of handling more difficult dances, which later led to the division of the group into two levels: senior and junior. This allowed the group to invite well known choreographers from some of the top groups in Slovakia, including Jan Blaho and Štefan Kocák to enhance and expand the group’s repertoire.
