Page 10 - Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Ukrainian President and Unlikely Hero

in Ukrainian, Russian, and even Israeli cities. (Over the preceding
decades many Ukrainian Jews, including Zelenskyy’s own great-
aunt, had immigrated to Israel, so Ukrainian Jewish performers
had a ready and receptive audience there.) In 2006 Zelenskyy
told an Israeli newspaper reporter that he had done the stand-up
routine in “Tel Aviv, in Beersheba, in Haifa, and in Jerusalem. In so
many cities. So I know Israel. . . . I know people there.” Also in
4
2006, he performed on and won the popular Strictly Come Danc-
ing television competition, the Ukrainian equivalent of America’s
Dancing with the Stars.
During these same eventful years, Zelenskyy also continued
to date his school sweetheart, Olena. In 2003 they decided to
make it of cial and got married. The following year they had a
daughter, whom they named Oleksandra, after Zelenskyy’s father.
And several years later, in 2013, came a son. His parents chose
for him the name Kyrylo, meaning “the Lord,” which had long
been a popular name among Ukrainian Jews.

Like a Pro on the Dance Floor

Popular British journalist Meghna Amin here provides a review of Zelenskyy’s
multiple 2006 appearances on Strictly Come Dancing, the Ukrainian version of
Dancing with the Stars. After Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, millions of
people around the world watched YouTube videos of Zelenskyy dancing and
were suitably amazed at his skill and professional demeanor. As Amin puts it:

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proven himself to be one
of the most courageous leaders in living memory, his epic triumph in the
country’s [version of] Dancing With The Stars is blowing people around
the world away. . . . In a video that was shared on Twitter . . . and swiftly
spread across social media, President Zelensky is seen waltzing, per-
forming the pase doble, and quickstep all across the ballroom, looking
very much like a pro. He’s seen with his dance partner Olena Shoptenko
showing off his moves to classic songs like Elvis Presley’s Blue Suede
Shoes and the Pink Panther theme song. With many already recognizing
him as a hero, the compilation video has now shown a completely dif-
ferent, yet just as popular, side of him, displaying how natural he is on a
dance oor and in front of the cameras.

Meghna Amin, “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Actually Won Dancing with the Stars and Gave
the Pros a Good Run for Their Money,” Metro (London), 2022. https://metro.co.uk.