During his time in Shumka, George Chrunik wore many hats. He was a dancer, artistic committee member, and choreographer, just to name a few. He was also known as one of the jokesters of the company. “Touring was a very special time because we got to spend time together. And preparing for tours was something special too. Touring wasn’t always…

June Eeles and her family have been involved in Shumka and the Shumka School for over 20 years. Even from day one, June knew she wanted to be part of the company. She started working for Shumka as a way to pay for her boys’ dance classes. Twenty years later, all three boys have been in the company, and June…

“Shumka was the highest calibre of Ukrainian dance and I wanted to be a part of that. Some of my favourite memories were from the 2004 China tour and the 2007 China/Ukraine tour. I got to share parts of those tours with my parents, so that was really special. Preparing for shows is a lot of hard work, but it’s…

Annette Bidniak auditioned for Shumka after two of her instructors, also Shumka dancers, encouraged her to do so. “I’ll never forget my first rehearsal. I walked in and immediately the older girls surrounded me and welcomed me. They felt like my older sisters. From that day forward, I was in the group. Every year that went by, I realized that…

“I had just started with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and was covering arts and entertainment for both radio and television. I recognized that Shumka was an organization that was different. They had artistic roots and roots in the community and they were able to bridge those together. They took it very seriously, but had great fun! Before I was done…

Jerry and Loverne Wowk joined Shumka shortly after moving from Saskatoon. They danced and choreographed together for many years. “We brought our backgrounds as not only dance teachers, but school teachers. We had some knowledge about organization and structure, plus experience with choreography, so we put that knowledge into Shumka. I had the ideas and Jerry did all the technical…