Severodonetsk early March 22 taken by Artem
Regular readers know that I’m a keen ballroom and latin dancer. With the Blackpool Grand Finals careering towards me far too fast and, it seemed, the whole world getting a new dance frock, I decided far too late that I needed one too. After much research I approached Grace Company Crafts – a well-established dance dress company, based in Ukraine.
Grace Company Crafts were like a dream. A brother and sister team – Artem and Marina, nothing was too much trouble. Under Marina’s instruction, I sent detailed measurements, and within just a few weeks they had made and shipped to me a fabulous plain black dance dress – perfect fit – all ready for me to add oodles of crystals ready for the competition. It all seemed so effortless, and it was … for me. All I had to do now was to imagine myself gliding across the dance floor beneath the lights in the Empress Ballroom, Blackpool.
But hang on, what about Artem and Marina? How is it for them, living and working as they are in a war-torn country ravaged by missile strikes, though Artem had made no mention of difficulties? Concerned, I asked the question and for a moment the imagined lights of the ballroom dimmed as I heard a little of the extreme difficulties they had to overcome in order to continue their business. Though not just them, this must apply to so many other Ukrainians in various walks of life.
It is indeed a credit to the professionalism and resilience of Artem and Marina and their amazing employees, that I had to ask the question, because I really had no indication of the reality of the extreme difficulties and the resourcefulness required just to get that dress to me. This is a little of their story, told to me by Artem.
Artem and Marina lived and worked in Severodonetsk prior to the war. They ran a successful business making dance costumes – ballroom, latin, Argentine tango and more, with operations throughout Ukraine.
Severodonetsk is just 100km from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, occupied by Russia since 2014, and was itself invaded and occupied by Russian troops earlier this year – you may remember seeing the city name in the news at the time, as Ukranian forces battled so hard to save it. These photos, taken by Artem just before he left, say more than any words could. He tells me that now the city is almost completely destroyed – there’s no electricity, gas and water and many civilians have been killed:
A B
A. ‘The basement of a residential builiding where 100 were hiding. This is my ‘room’, however I couldn’t stand it because of the rats and smell. B. Many died in their own gardens trying to heat their food. (words and images by Artem)
In March they fled their home. I leave it to Artem to describe then, and now. :
‘When I was in the city in March, dead people were buried in the courtyards of houses, because it was impossible to leave and bury people outside the city due to constant shelling. In a few months, a new cemetery appeared in the city centre, there were about 800 graves.
‘We left the city on March 13 under regular mortar shelling. Nearly all of our old team is gone. Only the accountant remains, my sister Marina, who helps me with clients, and the purchasing manager. We are all in different regions of Ukraine now. The accountant is in Zaporozhye, Marina is with Mom, Dad and her son in the Sumy region – about 600 km from me. I’m in Dnipro, where I control the production facility, and there are some employees in Kyiv who help deliver the goods.
‘There are constant interruptions of the internet and electricity in Dnipro. Therefore, we’ve created jobs for several people in different parts of the city. This helps when the lights are turned off. When there is no light on the outskirts, it may be on in the centre so people can work there. Some work in apartments when they have electricity. The guys in Kyiv receive all the parcels with orders from Dnipro. Postal services in Ukraine don’t work now, so they have to take them by car to Poland* and from there send them to the US or Europe. Vika is our purchasing manager in Cherkasy. She was also from Severodonetsk, but can work remotely. My former seamstresses, designers and cutters now work in different companies all over Ukraine. Some make military uniforms, others make winter clothes.
‘Two apartments and a house remain in Severodonetsk. The house has been completely looted. Now we live in rented apartments. But in general, we are better off than others. Not everyone had the money to leave the city and some remained. My cousin Kostya remained in Severodonetsk, because he decided to stay to look after his house and his mother (my Godmother). Kostya worked as a courier for my company. Also, our storekeeper, who has an old sick mother, remained in Severodonetsk. She used to check the quality of sewn products and packing orders.
‘The last time I spoke with the people who remained in Severodonetsk was in the summer, when communication was still possible through Ukrainian mobile operators. Now we receive news once a month from friends who sometimes visit the city. I’ll keep in touch with my old team. They, like me, lost their homes and left for different regions of the world. However, almost everyone plans to return to their hometown. I’m going to restore production and my old team after the end of the war.’
*[editor’s note: They make a 1200 km (16 hours) round trip from Kyiv to Polish border to post the orders]
And there you have it, the story behind the unbroken service from Artem – and just how is all this summarised on their website might you ask? Simply ‘We moved our production to another region of Ukraine.’
These brave and uncomplaining people need and deserve our continuing support. To quote the slogan on Ukranian dancers’ tops at the recent International Dance Championships at the Royal Albert Hall, ‘The War In Ukraine Is Not Over’.
So what can you do to help? Can I suggest three things?
- You can donate via this Etsy link: Pray For Ukraine Artem will make sure funds go to where they are needed. If you wish to give another amount please message him via Etsy:
- If you are a dancer or just want a lovely tailor-made dress, trousers, skirt or top – check out their Etsy page or website. They will make to any measurements (I am certainly not a size zero and I’ve been delighted with their tailoring), they will also amend colours, sleeve lengths, skirt lengths or anything else. (Note: At President Zelenskyy’s request Boris Johnson suspended tax on imports from Ukraine – meaning purchases from Ukranian companies are particularly good value).
- Please share this story on your social media accounts so we can reach as many people as possible
To finish on a happier note, I won Blackpool in this lovely dress from Grace Company Crafts, and the accompanying picture is the fabulous ballroom skirt they’ve just made for me.
So please – Pray For Ukraine.
By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://faitobooks.co.uk
Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice