Art that unites: choreographer Yevhen Kot helped make the dream of a Ukrainian soldier's daughter come true

As part of the social project 'Make a Dream Come True' by 1+1 Media, 12-year-old Viktoria Petrushenko met her idol, choreographer and dancer Yevhen Kot.

Viktoria is a charge of the Children of Heroes Foundation. Her father began his service in 2014 but was killed in March 2024 in the Pokrovsk district of the Donetsk region. Despite what she has been through, the girl admits that the moments they spent together were happy ones.

'My father gave his life for me, for my happiness, and for this country. It gives me strength,' says Viktoria.

For over seven years, the girl was involved in stage choreography with the Edelweiss ensemble, but now she is seeking something new. Since both heroes of the project, Yevhen and Victoria, share a passion for dancing, the team decided to give the girl motivation and a sense of wonder by introducing her to her idol and arranging a personal meeting.

"Victoria is a modern, very active, hip-hop girl who will find herself and her style. She wants to try jazz-funk dancing, so she should do what she likes. And for us, as parents, it is essential to give our children a happy childhood in today's world, ' commented Yevhen.

'I decided that I will continue dancing. Yevhen motivated me and told me a lot about his experience and training,' said the girl at the end.

You can find out more about how the meeting went in a video on the official 1+1 Media pages on Instagram and Facebook, as well as in the new season of the project 'Closer to the Stars' this Sunday, 24 August, in the morning on the TET TV channel.

We want to remind you that earlier, as part of the project, 13-year-old Oleksandra Kulchytska went behind the scenes of her favourite programme, 'Club 1%', where she met her idol, the host and mentor of the initiative, Timur Miroshnychenko. You can also watch the video on the 1+1 Media pages on Instagram and Facebook.