Folk songs – Ukraine’s new cool

Roksolaniya, a traditional Ukrainian singing group, performing during Orthodox Easter festivities at the St Sophia Cathedral complex in Kyiv. Faced with Russia’s efforts to erase Ukrainian culture, people have embraced traditional music as a way to reconnect with their past and affirm their identity. — ©2024 The New York Times Company

AT first sight, it looked like a typical party in a nightclub.

It was mid-March in central Kyiv and a hundred or so people were wiggling on the dance floor of V’YAVA, one of the Ukrainian capital’s most popular live music venues.