If you bumped into Zack Evans on the street, the first instinct of most wouldn't be to taunt or bully the 6-foot-4, 295-lb RedBlacks defensive lineman.

But that wasn't always the case for the 25-year-old Saskatchewan native, one of Ottawa's few bright spots in last week's thrashing by the Edmonton Eskimos as he broke through the offensive line to snag an ill-advised pitch and go the distance for the touchdown.

Rewind to Evans' childhood and the would-be pro football player was getting picked on for what he now credits as the basis for many of his skills as an athlete. He had started doing Ukrainian dance as a four-year-old, something that wasn't well-received by all of his peers.

"I kind of got bullied and bugged about it because I was dancing (and) not many boys my age were dancing," Evans said Tuesday. "But as soon as I started growing the taunting went away."

His career as a Ukrainian dancer lasted until he joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders as a 20-year-old, dancing in "16 or 17" editions of the multicultural Mosaic Festival in Regina. He also met his wife, Jenna, through dance.

"It gives you agility, good footwork and just lets you grow into your body and know your body," Evans said. "It was really flashy, they have big pants, they have nice costumes, the guys are all yelling and there's pretty girls just spinning around."

While Evans isn't from a Ukrainian background, his wife is and there is an active community in Saskatchewan. Evans still participates when he can.

"I still love the culture, I was born in it, I was raised in it, my wife is full Ukrainian and we're going to put my son into Ukrainian dancing," he said. "It helps you in every aspect of athleticism."