The Last Dance Floor in Chernobyl

April 20, 2026 · 60 min

About this episode

The episode tells the love story of Serhiy and Iryna set against the backdrop of Chernobyl's disco scene in 1986.

The untold story of a young couple falling in love and getting married against the backdrop of disaster. Serhiy first laid eyes on Iryna under the swirling lights of the best disco in town. She was wearing a cool jumpsuit with a bright red belt, which drew attention to her waist as she wiggled to the pulsing beat. Serhiy was freshly discharged from the Red Army and was happy to be able to let his hair down. He thought Iryna was beautiful and couldn’t take his eyes off her. He wouldn’t work up the courage to ask Iryna out until a few days later, but once they started dating, Club Edison 2 became a favourite haunt and they looked forward to the weekly discos. The man behind the decks was DJ Alexander Demidov, a legend on the night life scene, known for his pioneering shows. He wasn’t just choosing tracks; he was the pilot, the chief guide, the organiser of the dance. He was constantly talking to the crowd to say how, what, and where they were going next. Club Edison2 quickly became known as the best disco in Ukraine. He did have to jump through some hoops first though. It was 1986 and DJ Alexander had to have his playlist approved by the Soviet state. Often he would sneakily play…

Topics covered

love story
Chernobyl
disco culture
Soviet Union
forbidden music
youth
romance

Keywords

Chernobyl
disco
love story
Soviet Union
DJ
Club Edison 2
romance
forbidden music
1986

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Club Edison 2

Places: Ukraine

The Last Dance Floor in Chernobyl

About this episode

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

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