Book Preface:  With 2007 marking the 75th anniversary of CYMK ~ the youth association that the teenaged Pavlo Romanovich Yavorsky helped to found ~ a sense of urgency developed to compile his writings, photographs, documents and other significant memorabilia in tribute to both the ideals of the organization and his life.

The origins of this endeavour go back to 2005, almost seven years after his passing. Pavlo’s widow, Leontina, received a telephone call from Irka Balan, who was curating a Canadian Heritage-sponsored travelling display titled Vasile Avramenko:  A Legacy of Ukrainian Dance. In her research, Irka said, the name of Pavlo Yavorsky arose time and again. She knew of him for his  association with CYMK and other Ukrainian associations over the years ~ but was intrigued to be discovering glimpses of the depth of his involvement in introducing Ukrainian dance to farflung western communities, in Avramenko’s dance schools and also in the film, Cossacks in Exile. Irka’s questions prompted a search for answers; Pavlo’s family began leafing through his papers and photo albums and travelled to Ottawa to view the collections of documents he had donated, two decades earlier, to Library and Archives Canada.

The eventual result was a set of biographical posters written, designed and produced by Pavlo’s family which Irka Balan included in her travelling exhibit… A further result is this book ~ a compilation of words and images depicting milestones in the life of Pavlo Romanovich Yavorsky, who joyfully expressed his pride in his Ukrainian heritage through his profound love of Ukrainian dance and culture.